Age of Convexity
by GP-38
Summary: Spyro and Cynder thought that they opened up a new age of peace, but they thought wrong. Read how an old time evil dragon comes to take his revenge, and a shocking twist that you'll never see coming. Our young heros gets new powers but will it be enough?
1. Prologue

**Hello everybody! As you may know, this is my first FanFiction story ever.**

**I have been working on my chapters for almost two months now and I think now is the time to share them with you all. ! :D Just to let you know, ever since I started this story, the chapters are getting better in my eyes, so hope you feel the same way. :D**

**I do not own any characters of 'The Legend of Spyro' series. However, I do own all the other OC's in this story.**

**I think I made you guys wait long enough, so here is the first chapter in:**

** Age of Convexity**

**Enjoy :D  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Age of C<strong>**onvexity**

**Prologue:**

* * *

><p>"You cannot defeat me, I AM ETERNAL!" Malefor demanded.<p>

With that, Malefor blasted a beam of convexity at Spyro and Cynder.

At the same time Spyro and Cynder blasted there beams of convexity at Malefor. The two beams collided at each other with great force.

"Just… hang… on…" Spyro said at length.

The three were evenly matched, but Spyro and Cynder where just a little more powerful and shot Malefor's beam right back at him. When it made contact, it blasted him to the center of a crystal in the middle of the earth. However, he wasn't giving up just yet, but when he did rise, five dragon spirits rose from the earth and surrounded him.

"What is this?" He said curiously.

The spirits circled around the large purple dragon for a few seconds. Then, without warning, the five dragon spirits dove towards Malefor and dragged him into the center of the crystal.

"NOOOOOOOOO…" He Screamed.

Malefor hollered some more as he thought he was seeing the end of his life. He couldn't see how years and years of work could be completely demolished by two young dragons not even a quarter his size. He didn't know how he could be defeated so easily. Hundreds, even thousands of lives he has taken and not even breaking a sweat, but still getting his tail kicked by two youngsters, just sounded ridicules. Even though he was beat, he still did his task of destroying the world.

He fell deeper into the crystal but with no end. However, a few seconds later, a portal of convexity opened up and he plummeted right through it. As he went in the portal, a split second later, he fell in a dark room. It wasn't that big of a fall, maybe five or six feet but enough to throw a few bruises on him. The room was so dark that he couldn't see a paw in front of him, even when his eyes adjusted, he still couldn't see anything, so he just lied there still weak from the defeat and the confusing fall.

It was hard for him to get up; he tried to stand but only to succeed into falling flat on his face. He was so weak and dazed by the spiraling portal of convexity that he was getting nauseas as his world was spinning out of control; he tried to shake the stars from his head, but only to succeed of making it worse. After several more fails, he decided just to lay there and let his head recover on its own.

The large purple dragon lied there for several long and dizzying minutes, still trying to get his strength back. But that last battle took all the strength and power he had, just trying to raise his head was a challenging struggle. But other then his weakness, Malefor had a strange feeling in the pit of his gut that didn't settle well, a feeling that he wasn't alone; then a voice spoke.

"So, you failed to do your duty, to bring the end of this pathetic world." A deep rumbling voice, -deeper then Malefor's- said hidden in the shadows.

Malefor then somehow found the strength and his head shot up by the sudden sound, knowing that he is not alone.

"Who's there? Were am I?" Malefor wondered.

"Hahahaha… You mean you don't recognize me? Or where you're at?" The deep voice questioned. Malefor started to recognize the voice but still wasn't certain.

All of a sudden, flickers of light began to spark, torches on the walls and ceiling all ignited and illuminated most part of the room. The room was large, well to a normal size dragon. But to Malefor, it was just the right size. However, to Malefor, something was familiar, too familiar. Until it hit him; he was in the same prison in the Well of Souls. The same walls, the same floor with the same shackles that held him down, the same prison that he was locked up for so many years. The only difference, it was a little bigger and he wasn't shackled to the floor. After a few more moments, he suddenly found the strength to get up, ignoring the throbbing pain from his head. Then, the shadows at the far end of the chamber started to move as another dragon started to become visible, a purple dragon that was becoming visible.

He was about twice the size of Malefor; he had two horns out on top of his head and two on the side. His muscles where twice the size as were his wings, he was a darker purple then Malefor, which made him more terrifying. He had three rows of spikes all down his spine and one row down his tail; his tail blade was a super dark orange and had three razor sharp blades around it. His eyes where blood red with cat-like slits, his underbelly and wings where also a dark red orange, and his claws where jet black and sharp, ready to kill.

"Master Titanis!" Malefor said as he bowed. "How is it possible? My prison, it was destroyed."

"Yes, yes, but you're in the dark realms. The Well of Souls can never be destroyed in this realm…" He paused. "You had one job. To destroy this miserable world and all with it, but you let those two defeat you!" Tinanis said angrily as his voice rumbled the whole room and small stones fell from the roof of the room, which was like a small cave.

"But Master, it was Spyro, he is more powerful then you think. He-." Malefor was suddenly cut off.

"I don't care how powerful you think he is! You're more powerful then that! I gave you power, I gave you an army, and you still couldn't blow this damn world up!

"But Master" Malefor pleaded. "I ended the world. The Destroyer completed its quest. The world is disintegrating as we speak."

"Do you really think so?" The bigger purple dragon asked as he circled around Malefor." Because I was just informed by what's left of your army that Spyro sacrifice himself to put the world back together, and it looks like he succeeded on saving the world and himself." Tinanis said in a calm tone but Malefor could see the anger spread across his muzzle.

"W-what? But that's impossible? No one could have stopped the world from falling apart and survive the initial blast, it's just imposable!" Malefor said in shock, frozen by what he just heard still not knowing if he should believe in the words that just came out of his master's muzzle.

Tinanis then ran straight to Malefor at full speed, catching Malefor off guard and slashing him in the chest. The force was great enough to slam him into the wall leaving an impact crater into the wall and stone falling all over him. The strike left three claw marks on his chest enough to make him bleed. The gashes were fairly deep, about two inches; blood stained the stony floor as he struggled to get up. Tinanis ran up to him again at full speed and struck at him, but this time pinning him against the wall.

"Well Spyro some how did!" Tinanis snarled, still had Malefor pinned agents the wall, and then raised a talon ready to strike. "Prepare to die!"

Malefor watched helplessly into his blood red eyes, all he could see was anger, hatred, and evil in them. Malefor knew he had to do something; he couldn't just die there on the spot when he knows that he could do better, until it hit him. He knew the best way to get back at Spyro, the guardians, and everyone else. It would be like fighting fire with fire.

"Wait! Give me one more chance." Malefor begged.

"What!" "Why would I give you another chance?" Tinanis thrust his head even closer to Malefor's muzzle. He could tell the anger on his muzzle, the pure hatred in his soul.

Why should he give him another chance? He failed miserably, and now he wishes to seek revenge. What could he possibly do to make up the mistake he has done? All the power he could ever wish for, all the minions that he could ever think of and under his control too. And still not able to put the end of the world? What more could he want?

"I'll make sure to destroy the world and to _kill_ Spyro for good," Malefor gasped hard trying to fill his lungs but Tinanis' grip held him firm agents the wall, all he could do was talk is short burst by the lack of air,

"And… and I know… just how… to do it." Malefor said gasping for air, but then he started to smile, as his grin grew wider across his feathers.

There was a long silence until Tinanis took a long depressing sigh like he was going to regret what he was going to say.

"Ok, I'll give you one more chance but that's it. Then he pressed Malefor even harder into the wall until a loud _pop_ broke the silence, like the pop of a bone cracking. Malefor gritted his teeth in pain as indeed one of his ribs did break. Tinanis was just inches away from Malefor's muzzle, with clear anger across his feathers.

"You fail me again and I'll take you out myself, and I'll make sure that it'll be very painful." With that, the bigger purple dragon let go of Malefor and watched him fall. Malefor hit the stony hard ground as he clutched at his chest of the throbbing pain. The pain was like several spikes pressing against his chest at one time, but he's felt worse.

"Now go," Tinanis said angrily, "and don't come back until you have completed your task!" After that, Malefor tried to stand ignoring the pain until he felt a sharp stabbing burst of pain shoot through his back. He tried to stand but something was holding him back down. Malefor looked back to see what was the cause of the pain, what he saw was Tinanis pressing his massive talon on his back, claws imbedded in him. He shrieked in pain, and the more he hollered, the more Tinanis will press down. Then he bent down close to Malefor's head. "And don't think I won't know what you will be doing, I can see everything." Tinanis said as he started to laugh evilly.

Tinanis rose off him as Malefor slowly tried to get up. Despite the pain, he was able to get up and walk to the door way but with a limb. When he was almost at the door way, a portal open up and Malefor walked to it. When he was about to go through, He turned back to him, as Tinanis was giving him an evil look.

"I won't fail you this time, father." Malefor said at length trying not to look his father straight in the eye.

"Good, now go before I change my mine." Tinanis said with a mean look in his eyes. Like a black hole of swirling heritage.

With that, Malefor turned around and entered the portal.

***.*.***

"Spyro I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry." Cynder said as she held her head in shame.

"Don't be, it's over now." Spyro replied.

"So this is it?" Cynder questioned.

"Spyro," The purple dragon heard a familiar voice in his head. "As a dragon dies, he does not truly leave this world, he binds itself with nature, often hopes for the future." After Ignitus' spirit faded, Spyro then knew what had to be done.

"I know what I need to do, just get out of here Cynder."

"No Spyro, you don't need to do anything, let's just go." Cynder said as she thought she knew what he is going to do but hoped she was wrong.

"Where Cynder? They'll be nothing left, the world is breaking apart, but I think I can stop it, I think I'm meant to." Spyro said in a calm tone, knowing that what he was about to do would end his life.

"Then I with you" Cynder said. Cynder knew what was going to happen. All those years of war, all those lives lost, and still might lose everything. Cynder knew Spyro had the strength to do it, but didn't know if they would be able to see the new age, even though they where most likely not going to make it, she gave a weak smile and was ready to go with the one she trusted the most.

Once said, Spyro gave a weak smile back and then gathered all of his power as he reared up to his hind legs. He then started to float a little off the ground, he glowed bright purple as a convexity aura flowed through him. He was just about to release it when Cynder said the three words he has been waiting to hear for a long, time.

"I love you,"

Cynder's last words echoed through the center of the earth as both were going in peace.

There was a _**BIG**_ burst as the purple convexity surrounded the huge planet and slowly pulling it back together.

***.*.***

Back in the Runs of Warfang, The guardians, all the moles, Sparx, and the cheetah tribe,-including Hunter- all where shocked when they were still alive? Therefore, as curios as they were, they all left the safety of the underground tunnel to see what was happening on the surface.

As they reached the mouth of the cave, preparing to see the worse, they were completely dumbstruck by what they saw. They were all expecting to see everything engulfed in flames, with the earth beneath them crumbling before there eyes. Gasping for air, as the last bit of oxygen is sucked into space and lost forever, hearing the screams of a thousand lives just disintegrating right before them. Bearing in mind that the whole surface of the world slowly turned into hot, fiery, molten rock as it flew into space. However, they didn't see any of that, what they saw was a beautiful sunset on the horizon, the remanding chunks of earth flouted back together from space, and on top of the chunks were lush patches of soft green grass, tall trees, and magnificent flours, the sign of new life. It was truly the best thing they have all seen there whole lives, the beginning of a new age.

"Wow…" That was all everyone could say. The sight was just breathtaking, even the guardians were speechless of the sight; they knew Spyro would save the world but he did a better job then they were expecting. The sight of there new home is beautiful, there was no trace of the destruction of war, no grublins, no burn lands, no more fires, no massive fortress high above the volcano. No more ash raining down covering all the lands in a poisonous cloud, and most importantly _no_ more Malefor.

Even the volcano was inactive, it has settled down and looks like it will never erupted in tens of thousands of years. They even renamed the volcano, it was changed from 'The Mountain of Malefor' to, 'The Mountain of Heroes', dedicated to those who gave there lives for the new life, especially the young purple dragon, Spyro. Giving his life to save the ones he loved, for them to live on, making the world a better place.

Sparx flew to the edge of the cave, but he had to cover his eyes with his tiny hand from a familiar bright, hot, several - million - times - lager -then – the - planet, thing in the sky. He gasped by what he saw.

"He did it," Sparx said, surprised by what his brother did, "that big purple thing actually did it!

"YAHHHHHHHH!" Everyone shouted in relief. All those years of war and now, it was all over; they can finally live in peace. Hunter was one of the first to walk to the edge of the cave, just amazed by what one dragon had done.

"Well done Spyro, well done." Hunter said softly as he stopped on the edge of the cave and a small grin spread across his muzzle. Just behind him where the guardians, about twenty feet back inside the cave, but Volteer was the first to speak as always.

"Well this is wonderful, delightful, magnificent, intriguing, stupendous, marvelous, amazing, ahhh? Volteer blabbered, becoming tangled in his words, as usual.

"Yes, yes Volteer, this is rather amazing. But even when times are in crisis, you think you could keep your speeches down under a hundred words a second?" Cyril asked still annoyed by Volteers' constant babbling.

"Will you please stop bickering you two!" Terrador yelled, "You should be grateful for what our young warriors have accomplished…" Terrador breathed, annoyed by the fighting by those two. _"Some things will never change."_ He said in his mind. "Which reminds me, we should get back to the city, check the damage and wait for there return." He finished, waiting for any other comments.

"Terrador? How do you know they will return? We don't even know if they made it out." Volteer questioned with a puzzled look on his muzzle, wanting a safe return for there heroes, but was not sure.

Terrador breathed in, filling his massive lungs until he couldn't take any more air and let out a big sigh.

"I know there out there somewhere, I can feel it."

With that, the three guardians gave one better look at the breathtaking sight before they turned around and started to walk back to Warfang.

"I guess electric dragons always talk because they have the energy to do so or something?" Sparx said mumbling to him self while hovering above Hunter, but Hunter still heard him. "He just keep going, and going, and going, and going an-." He was suddenly cut off when a paw was waved in front of him.

"I think we get the point, Sparx." Hunter said, annoyed.

"I'm sorry, it's just Spyro and I never been separated before, I guess I just miss him, I hope he's ok." Sparx said as he hung his head over, looking at the ground and drooping his antennas down. For once in his life, he felt alone, not knowing if his purple friend had made it or not. The thought was racing in his head, he saved the world but did he save himself? Sparx couldn't think if he was going to be alone for the rest of his life, he couldn't think what it will be like without his brother, but every time he tried to think when he'll see Spyro, it just gets pushed back by the negative thought.

"Cheer up Sparx, he'll return," Hunter said, then took one of his claws and rose the tiny insect's chin up, until he was eye to eye with Sparx.

"You mustn't give up on hope yet… It's only been a few hours; you'll be reunited with him soon."

"You really think so?" Sparx asked. The cheetah gave a firm nod in reply to his question. "Ok, thanks Hunter."

"Any time," Hunter gave a small chuckle and Sparx did the same. After Sparx felt a little bit better, he buzzed off to the guardians to go to the city and wait for his brother's return.

Hunter waited a little bit longer, after Sparx flew off; he turned around and stared at the amazing sight in front of him. It was hard to believe that this was all in roans just a few hours ago, but now, the sight of what it looks now is completely fascinating. Everything looks like it has been restored, everything looked at peace. However, it wasn't completely back to normal, there were still some pieces of earth still flouting in the air, but it was enough for them. After Hunter obtained enough of the beautiful sight, he inhaled deeply and let out a peaceful sigh and simply turn around to head off to Warfang catching up to Sparx and the guardians.

***.*.***

"Hey, hey get up," a young black male dragon said trying to wake his brother. "Now is not the time to be sleeping, now is the time to see what the legendary purple dragon has done." The black dragon hung over his older brother shaking him violently to get him up. His brother groaned as his younger brother was continuing to shake.

"Uh, are we dead?" The older red dragon asked.

"If we were, I wouldn't be shaking you trying to get you up to look what the legendary purple dragon did, you idiot!" The black dragon repeated what he just said, sarcastically.

The black dragon was fairly young, around fourteen years in age. He was a light black dragon with a dark blue underbelly and wings; he had two horns that came straight out the top of his head and two on the side that curved back. They were gray in color as well as his claws, his tail blade had four sharp sides shaped like an X that was also gray. He also had a row of small spikes that ran down his head to the tip of his tail, and he also had yellow glaring eyes.

"Would you stop calling me an idiot? It's getting on my nerves." The red dragon said still with his eyes closed and laying on his right side trying to go back to sleep.

The red dragon was a little older then his brother, he was about sixteen in age, which means he was a little bigger then is brother. His scales were a smooth red color with small orange strips running down his right and left flank. His underbelly was yellow and his wings were orange, he had two fairly large yellow horns on top of his head that curved. He also had a flame-shaped tail blade that was also yellow, his eyes where blue and his claws were white and a small row of yellow spikes run down his back.

"Well then get your lazy tail up and follow me to the mouth of the cave." The young dragon demanded.

"I would be really happy if you stop talking and let me sleep." The older brother said, and then dozed off to go to sleep.

"I don't care what you want; you need to come see this, now!" With that, the younger black dragon got up off his brother and jumped into the air with a quick flap of his wings before forming into ball and slamming straight into his older brothers left flank.

The blow knocked the wind out of the red dragons' lungs before he gasped for air. The older dragon rolled over coughing still trying to get the air back into his lungs. He was finally able to catch his breath and rise to all fours, but as he did so, his younger brother took off running and laughing to the mouth of the cave.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that, Zackary!" The red dragon said, very mad at his brother for jumping on him, the one thing he hated the most was being disturbed from his sleep.

"Well I guess you haft to chase me then, Singe." Zackary said as he looked back at his older brother and saw him getting up. He was running as fast as his legs would carry him, trying to get to the edge of the cave before his older brother caught up with him.

Back inside the cave, the red dragon immediately started running, trying to catch his brother and make him pay for slamming into his flank. The cave was fairly long and for the two brothers, it just seemed to go forever without an end.

The black dragon was panting hard from exhaustion, knowing that his older brother was faster and more athletic then he was, but with his energy running down, it was getting harder for him to reach the mouth of the cave, but he knew he had to do it.

"Oh man, if I get caught now, I'll be dead,"Zackary said to himself. "No, I can't give up, not now."

"Get back here you worthless lizard!" The red dragon shouted, closing in the gap between them. "No!" Zackary said from a distance that echoed throughout the cave.

Finally, for what felt like hours, Zackary made it out to the entrance of the cave. Panting hard, trying to catch his breath. Seconds later, the older dragon ran into the light, but his sight was focused straight on the black dragon. He glared at his brother as steam blew out of his nostrils and was a darker red then before by how mad he was, before saying, "You're mine now," and then a smirk spread across his muzzle, he wasted no time before he ran full speed at him.

Zackary had caught his breath and was looking over the edge of the cave when suddenly; he turned and looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened big when he saw his brother running straight toward him at a rapid pace, he even had a hated look in his blue eyes. The black dragon didn't have time to react before he was rammed head on; they both tumbled over each other until Singe got the avenge and pinned Zackary down to the ground. The red dragon looked at his brother panting but with a smile on his muzzle, he finally got him.

"Hahahaha, you're going to pay now." But when the red dragon was thinking what to do to his brother, something caught Singe's eye. He looked up out side the cave and saw a bird flying over, when the bird vanished from sight, he noticed that everything was put back together. No grublins, no fiery lands, and no gigantic beast entering in the volcano. All there was lush green grass, flours painting the lands with color, birds chirping in the distant, rivers' flowing through the lands, all was at peace Life was now enjoyable without dying lives of war.

"Whoa…" That was all Singe could say, he was completely in awe by the sight. "So was this what you wanted to show me?" Zackary just nodded his head in a clumsily, but still being pinned hard by his elder brother.

Singe finally got off his brother but didn't help him to get up; Zackary was able to get up on his on and sat into a sited position next to Singe. They both just sat there, in the mouth of the cave just looking at the amazing sight. Finally, after several long moments later, Singe broke the silence.

"So this is what the legendary purple dragon has done? It's just breathtaking."

"Yes, yes it is." The black dragon said, then he took a deep breath of fresh air the exhaling it back out, he was tickled by the new fresh air, it made a big smile that appeared on his feathers.

"Maybe we might have the chance to meet the purple dragon one day?" Zackary said with excitement in his words.

"Me too, Zack, me too," The two dragons just sat their, enjoying the remarkable sight. Then the red dragon remembered something, he glared his eyes, turned and faced his brother. Zackary saw Singe looking at him on corner of his eye, he turned around but when he did, he saw a paw speeding toward his muzzle; he tried to dodge it but was not quick enough. He was hit full force across the muzzle and the blow was enough to knock him off his feet and to the ground. After a second, he finally was able to get his bearing and get up, shaking the stars from his vision. Then he turned to his brother to see him trying not to laugh but couldn't hold it in, then he started to burst out laughing.

"What was that for!" Zackary said, angry at Singe for slapping him.

"That was for body slamming me when I was trying to sleep!" Singe replied

"Well how else was I going to get you up?" Zackary asked. "You sleep more then that rock over there," the black dragon said as he pointed to a rock inside the cave.

"You better watch it before I slap you again," the red dragon said getting angry, and then started to grit his teeth and glare his eyes at his younger brother.

"Go on, make my day," Zackary called back and getting cocky.

"Gladly," Singe said and they both approached into a fighting stance.

***.*.***

Back in the center of the world, Cynder lied unconscious on the cold, hard, depressing, stony ledge; the same spot where Spyro brought the world back together. The black dragoness lay there, motionless on the ground. There were some small stones falling from the top of the somewhat cave she was in. The stones fell and tapped directly on her head, just enough to wake anybody up, but she didn't get up, not even a twitch. Some more rocks fell; getting bigger each time, this time a two-inch in diameter rock hit her right on top of her head, that one was enough to make her move. She gave a small groan and some small twitches from the floor being so cold. She didn't know if she was dead or not.

"_More likely I am dead because I'll be at Warfang if I weren't."_

She thought to her self. After that, she heard loud cracking sounds all along the ceiling of the cave, when the noise pounded against her ears, her stomach turned. When she was able to open her eyes and look around, trying to get her bearings straight and trying to figure out where she's at. She then realized that she was not dead, alive but confused.

"How did I get here, and why am I so weak?"

She wondered trying to get up but only managed to fall back down on her side, until it hit her, the defeat with Malefor, Spyro putting the world back together; it was all coming back to her.

The black dragoness eyes snapped wide open when she heard the loud noises above her; she looked up but with a struggle to see where the noise was coming from. She gasped aloud when she saw a super large rock brake free and was hurdling straight on top of her. It took all her mite just to get up but she finally was able to rise. The black dragoness was just able to jump out of the way when the massive rock smashed into the ground, shattering into small spear-like shards flying everywhere. Cynder manage to avoid most of the shards but some where able to strike into her right flank. It wasn't too bad, just enough to draw a small amount of blood but she didn't pay any attention to the shards.

"_Ok… That was too close_," She said still in shock. But she was in for a much bigger shock, she brushed herself off with her paw from the rocky spears that embedded in her but only just a little and the dust that covered her and the air, then turned around to see a purple body about twenty feet away, laying on it's side not moving at all.

"Spyro?"

* * *

><p><strong>So what did you guys think? Please R&amp;R it and if you can tell me if I need to improve. ;D<strong>

**Ok, so my next update will be on the 6th of April. Just a heads up. ;D I bet you didn't see that coming about Malefor, did ya?**

**And what's going to happen to those two new dragons? I know! Stay with me for more and better chapters still to come. :D**

**Til next time. :D**


	2. Chapter 1

**Ok, so I wrote that my next chapter (this one) was going to be next week, well nope! Today instead. :D Thank you to all the people who read and or reviewed. **

**And I'm sorry about the grammar problems; like it said Tinanis. Well somehow my computer changed *Titanis* to Tinanis and I didn't noticed it til now so sorry about that. but it is Titanis. ;D Now as you see, this chapter is a little longer. so enjoy :D**

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Chapter 1

"Spyro!" Cynder shouted looking at the purple dragon lying on the ground motionless. Cynder's view zoomed out so far until he looked like he was several hundred meters away. Her heart sank back in her chest, fearing the worst.

"Oh no…"

That was all the black dragoness could say; frozen in place by fear coursing through her body like a snakes venom that numbed it's pray. After a few seconds that felt like hours to her, Cynder was finally able to shake off the paralyzing fear and started to run as fast as her legs would carry her over to the purple body, as tears ran down her face when she was running. She seemed to make no progress running to him as her eyes tricked her making her think he was so far away. Finally, after what felt like hours, she approached to Spyro and was horrified by what she saw. Cynder looked at the purple dragon to see his beautiful purple scales have changed to a dual grayish purple color, like all the life had been sucked out of him. Cynder sat down close to Spyro and placed a paw on his right flank, her hart sank when she felt him so cold which made more tears run down her face that splashed on his pale chest.

"Spyro, Spyro please wake up." She said as more salty tears ran down her face more rapidly now. "Don't go Spyro, please don't go…I love you … I need you… And I can't live without you…" She cried even harder and rested her head on his chest, letting the tears flow down he pale golden chest scales.

She laid her head on his chest for several long sad minutes, until she felt the purple dragon's chest slowly rise and fall. Cynder didn't pay any attention to the small movement the purple dragon uttered; she was too horrified by what she was going through to notice. After a few more seconds pasted, the purple dragons' chest slowly moved again and this time she noticed. The black dragoness's head shot straight up by the shocking movement. Her eyes opened wide as the tears started to stop. Could this be? Could Spyro still be alive after such a tragic event? Cynder's questions where finally going to be answered when Spyro gave a small groan. Cynder's heart nearly stopped by the unannounced groan, then after a split second later, she realized that there was no mistaking the noise that she just heard. Her heart started to beat faster as it was pounding hard against her rib cage by the sudden noise, a small smile started to spread across her muzzle when he made another groan; louder this time.

***.*.***

Spyro groaned even more as he lay on the cold, hard, stony, floor.

"_Ahhh… Why does my head hurt's so bad? Where am I? How did I get here? Am I dead?_ He thought to himself.

Spyro finally opened his eyes to see that he wasn't dead at all; alive but confused. He lied there on the ground completely unaware of his surroundings. He finally was able to open his eyes completely and raised his head off of the bone-chilling floor, waiting for his eyes to adjust. When his eyes fully corrected themselves he started to look around to try to get his bearings straight, but what he saw shocked him. He saw huge pillars spinning and flouting in mid air, beams of light shooting all over into space, a huge fortress suspended in the middle, and he was floating on a massive piece of earth at the far end. It took Spyro a little while to get his bearings, but they finally came to him and he realized where he was, he was in the Chronicler's world. Spyro found some strength to get up but when he rose to his feet, he didn't feel any pain, dizziness, not even a little stiff.

"Huh… Well that's odd. You would think after putting the world back together, you would feel at least a little stiff… But why am I doing here? Why am I here and not with Cynder? Wait. Did Cynder even make it?" Spyro said with sadness and confusion in his voice.

"Ha-ha, you are not dead Spyro, and Cynder is doing just fine, young dragon." A voice echoed through the whole area.

"Who's there?" Spyro demanded. He knew this was where the Chronicler had summoned him in the past, so he knew it had to be him. All though, there was something familiar in the strange calming voice Like the voice belonged not to the Chronicler, but someone that he has been with most of his life. Spyro jumped into the air with a single flap of his wings and flew to the main temple in the middle of the area. He reached to entrance in no time; a lot faster then last time when he had to awaken his powers, a small fight was all that been needed to cross over the obstacles then to do them one by one. He then walked into the doorway at a slow paste looking back and forth to see where the voice could have come from. When he entered, he was in front of a mighty hourglass that spanned from the ground to the roof of the room. Spyro looked all around at all books that where placed neatly on the bookshelves, all the history of the whole dragon race was right in front of him. The purple dragon slowly walked around the hourglass just as the thought of why he was there in his mind. When he rounded the corner, he saw a tall pale blue dragon in a sited position with a bright small blue crystal around his neck; all around him stand books stacked on top of each other on ether sides of the dragon, but it wasn't the Chronicler. He had a big grin that stretched across his feathers, waiting for the young dragon to make his way around the hourglass so he may speak.

"Well young dragon, you never cease to amaze me." The pale blue dragon said in a happy tone in his voice and a small grin started to form on his feathers. When the blue dragon finished speaking, Spyro's heart nearly pounded out of his chest when he got a good look at the dragon. Could this be? Did Ignitus actually survive? But how this was possible? The thoughts were racing through his mind like wild fire and tears started to form in the corners of his eyes.

"I-Ignitus?"

That was all Spyro could say; he was completely frozen by the sight of his mentor only being a few meters away. Spyro blinked a few times a shook his head to try to wake himself up, thinking that it was just a dream and that he will wake up any time now and Ignitus will be gone. But when he opened his eyes again, the blue dragon was still there. He was so shocked by the sight of Ignitus as he realized that it wasn't a dream after all, but what was even more shocking to him were his pale blue scales. His shiny red scales where transformed to a dale blue. But how was this so? How can a dragon transform colors in their scales? It took Spyro several long moments to finally realize that it was indeed Ignitus standing before him.

"Ignitus!" Spyro said as he ran full speed to the blue dragon as fast as his legs would carry him. All Spyro felt was a surged of joy and happiness that went threw his body as he ran to Ignitus, letting the tears flow. He still couldn't believe that the dragon that had told him what he truly was and stuck by his side to the end was right there in front of him. Spyro's run only took a few seconds by the time he reached the blue dragon; he was running so fast that he didn't have time to slow down at all and rammed straight into Ignitus wrapping his front forepaws around his massive left foreleg.

"I can't believe you're here." Spyro said excitedly

"It's good to see you too Spyro." Ignitus said as he bent down to look at the young purple dragon. Spyro kept a firm grip on Ignitus for several long minutes; he was so relieved to see the first dragon he ever knew and the same dragon that taught him how to become a master of using the element of fire. Several more long minutes pasted by and Spyro finally let go of the blue dragon, taking a few steps back then looking up at him still in shock by which he was seeing.

"Ignitus…I-I'm so-so glad to see you again…" Spyro stuttered

"As am I," Ignitus said looking down at him.

"But Ignitus, I thought, I thought I sa-, I thought I saw you ge-." Spyro was suddenly cut off by a paw waved in front of him.

"What you saw is indeed true, and unfortunately is permanent." Ignitus said as he hung his head down low. Spyro hung his head also in shame that this may be the last time he might see the fire guardian.

"Cheer up young dragon, this doesn't mean we haft to part ways." He said as he lifted the purple dragon's chin with a single claw.

"What do you mean Ignitus?" Spyro cocked his head in confusion by the elder dragon's words.

What was he talking about?

"I have been chosen to be the new Chronicler; only few are able to have this opportunity," Ignitus said with happiness in his voice and a smile span across his muzzle, trying to perk up the purple dragon. Spyro returned a smile, completely thrilled that even though Ignites' duty of a fire guardian has ended, he was still able to see the one that has taught him all what it is to be a purple dragon.

"You see, after my passing in the belt of fire, you continued your path through the burn lands and to defeat Malefor."

The pale blue dragon rose to his feet then gathered his books and started to walk to the selves. As he was walking, the old books were floating only a few feet away from him until he was near to the selves. They then flew to their correct order, neatly as they slid into place on the selves with the others. "As for I, I was brought here where the other Chronicler had pass through and assigned me with the responsibly of becoming the new Chronicler."

After the new Chronicler had finished speaking and putting the books back on the shelf, he then walked back to where he was sitting before next to the hourglass and laid on his stomach with his forepaws crossed. He took a deep sigh and looked at the ground with an unsettling look on his features. Spyro immediately caught the depressing sigh as bad news, now fearing of what he was going to say.

"Spyro, this reunion is quit touching but now I need to go through to what I have summoned you here," Ignitus closed his eyes and took another deep breath, he didn't want to tell the young dragon what was going to happen, he just saved the world and haven't even woke up yet from the terrifying event. But deep down he knew it had to be done. Ignitus opened his eyes and gave a long, deep sigh. He looked down at Spyro and the purple dragon knew for sure now that something wasn't right in the look of his eyes.

"Young dragon, you have outstandingly succeeded your duty in bringing the world to peace for a short while," Ignitus said happily but as he finished, he looked back of what was going to happen later on in the future, what he was going to tell Spyro.

"A short while? What do you mean a short while?" Spyro caught the last words of the blue dragon's sentence, now confused by what he was saying.

"This war is far from being over, young dragon," Ignitus said at length. Spyro's eyes widen by those shocking words. What does he mean this war in far from over? How is that possible? What still could be lurking around? Spyro couldn't believe the words that just came out of the elder dragon's mouth. "It doesn't concern you right now, you need to rest and get your strength back. But not to worry, there's plenty of time." Ignitus said at length. "But what does concern you is you need to go back to Warfang, and tell the other guardians that I have sent you a message; a great evil is on the horizon and you must get ready."

"But Ignitus how is this war far from over and how is there still an evil lurking? Cynder and I have defeated the Dark Master, Ho-," He was cut off by Ignitus.

"That is all I can tell you, young dragon. But right now, you need to wake up and be with Cynder, She's worried about you." Then after Ignitus finished speaking, Spyro started to fade away as he was returning back to his world.

"But Ignitus, I-," that was all Spyro could say until he faded away, back to his world.

"May the ancestors watch over you." Ignitus said when Spyro fully faded away. He never liked to cut anyone off like that especially Spyro, but that was all he could tell him; he'll know in time. The chronicler then rose up once again as he turned around and a book started to float down and hover just under eye level of the blue dragon, the book opened on it's own as pages and pages were flipped over. Eventually, the page-flipping seized on a page that has just been written. Ignitus slowly read and studied the page, when he was finished; his eyes grew real big in shock.

"Oh no, this cannot be!"

***.*.* **

"Spyro!"

The purple dragon heard his name being called in a shout but soothing tone, but he couldn't make out the owner of the voice. "Spyro please, open your eyes, please get up, please." The voice pleaded even harder this time, and by the second call, Spyro could recognize the voice; it was Cynder. Spyro's heart raced by the sound of the dragoness's voice; knowing that she way worried but alright which took a big weight off his shoulders. He tried to answer but he couldn't move, not even a simple twitch; his mind was awake but his body wouldn't respond. He tried with his entire mite to try to regain consciousness and body control but couldn't secede. He never felt so drained in his life, even when he and Cynder woke up from being entombed in a crystal for three years, they were able to get up and attack the Golem; this was far worse then that.

"_Am I really that weak that my body won't respond?" _He thought, and again he tried to move, even just a little, but this time he was able to create a small movement with his right wing. He was finally starting to come back.

Finally, after two hours sense Cynder found the purple dragon, he was able to regain consciousness. Spyro groaned as he tried to open his eyes; even a simple task of opening his eyes was a unbearable struggle to him and after a few minutes later he was able to crack his eyes. But when he finally opened his eyes almost all the way, all he could see was a black blur in front of him. His vision started to clear when he could see the black figure in front of him was Cynder.

Spyro tried to talk but was too weak to do so; it was such a constant struggle just to keep his eyes open, but he was able to fine the strength to pick up his head up just a little and try to speak.

"C-Cynder? I-Is that you? He said in a quit voice that no one could barely even hear. But somehow, Cynder managed to hear him. The black dragoness's eyes opened immediately by the whispered voice, her heart started to beat faster, her eyes started to shower, and her mind was racing with joy and excitement when she saw Spyro's eyes open and trying to lift his head.

"SPYRO!" Cynder shouted and jumped down to give the purple dragon a big, emotional huge as tears streamed down her face, more rapidly now but trying to be gentle in case he was hurt.

"Spyro, I thought, I thought I was going to lose you," she said at length. Cynder was full of emotions that were being held back, waiting to burst out, but they seemed to explode out of her when Spyro finally woke up from such a tragic event. Spyro tried to give a hug back but all he could do was lay there as his black dragoness wrapped around him, bringing warmth to him. He started to get control back to his body but at a slow paste.

"I'm here Cynder, and I'm not going anywhere," Spyro said. He was so shocked and relieved that they actually survived the tragic event. But did it work? Is the world back together? Ignitus said it did but is it at a peaceful normal? Only for a short while? Those thoughts were going through his mind like wild fire, but the only thing he could think of was how they were going to get out of the massive volcano. But as he thought about it a little more, he then started to wonder, why is Cynder so emotional?

"_Was the thing I thought she said when I was concentrating on putting the world back together true?"_ Spyro thought to himself.

Cynder eventually broke the hug and her tears started to slow down. Spyro was still confused of why she was so emotional, but hoping he was right.

After the black dragoness got off of him, she then sat next to his right, Spyro then tried to stand up and get into a comfortable sited position but wasn't able to succeed.

"Spyro, don't be trying to get up," Cynder said trying to keep the purple dragon down. "You're in no shape to be doing so. You need to rest." With that, Cynder sat down next to her purple friend and wrapped a friendly wing around him.

"Thanks, Cynder. But I think I can rest better if we get out of here. I don't know about you, but I don't want to spend the rest of the day in the center of a volcano." Spyro said with a chuckle that made Cynder chuckle back.

"Ok, but just stay here while I go try to find a way out and maybe some red or green gems." Cynder rose up to her feet and was about to go find a tunnel or some way for them to get out when something grabbed her hind leg. She looked back to see Spyro was the one to grab her leg. The black dragoness saw the look on his muzzle, like he didn't want her to go.

"Cynder, can you stay here with me for a little longer?" Spyro asked looking down with a very timid voice.

Cynder just looked down and smiled at the purple dragon, and lied back down next to her purple friend, after she was in a comfortable position; she slowly flexed her left wing and draped it around Spyro again.

"Thanks, Cynder," he said in a calm voice. He loved the feel of the warmth, radiating from her body that he completely dozed off for a short slumber. Cynder saw the purple dragon had fallen asleep, so she simply rested her head on top of Spyro's neck and fell asleep too, washing most of her worries away

***.*.***

"Oh my, by are ancestors this is just delightful, wonderful, magnificent, stupendous, unbelievable, shocking, ahhh," Volteer was tangled up in his own words; he was so excided by what they all saw before their eyes.

"Would you just stop that electric tongue of yours from wagging before I freeze it off myself?" Cyril said angrily at Volteers' excitement. Volteer pulled his head back in shock by the ice guardian's words. All day long forced to be in the under ground tunnels of The Runs of Warfang as thousands of moles and dragons were cramped all throughout the tunnels, the whole time -as they were- fought with each other in constant words.

"Would you two just stop arguing and enjoy the sight of the dragon city." Terrador said annoyed by the consent bickering by the other two guardians. Other then their smack talks of words, they were all amazed by the dragon city as they entered. It appeared that most of the city was rebuilt and all the trace of war seemed to be gone; well most of it.

"Could Spyro contain such power to reframe the city?" Cyril asked, shocked by the amazing sight. Most of the buildings were reconstructed, the outer wall was not as battered up as it was, and all the terror in the streets has all vanished.

The city was about half way rebuilt; still some debris scattered throughout the city and all the tall building had some shattered windows, but all the fires that carved a trail of chard destruction were extinguished out, the ramparts were in better shape then they were, most of the catapults were still there but in banged up shape and still some chunks of stone chipped off the walls but sturdy enough to withstand another attack if so happened but not long enough to defend the city. Even all of the grublin carcasses, all of the siege engines, and all of the grublin weapons had vanished.

"It seems that Spyro did a better job of reuniting the world back together then we had ever hoped for." Terrador announced, dumbstruck by the sight and the condition of the city; to think that a day before the city was all in ruins. Fires covering the lands, burning everything in its path, thousands of grublins marching their way to clam the city, a huge battering ram busting its way through the entrance, and a two hundred foot tall Golem entering the city through the earth and making its way in, destroying everything through the inside out. Now all way gone and the trio was all enjoying the sight; their home was now at peace.

"Looks like we have are work cut out for us on rebuilding the city but it's not as bad as we expected it to be, thanks to Spyro." Terrador said looking back at the other guardians, when a small grin spread across his features.

"Yes, yes, it has seemed that Ignitus was right after all about the purple dragon, Spyro. I just hope are young hero's can make it back safely to the city." Cyril said with a tint of sadness in his words, just hoping his fellow fire guardian, Spyro, and Cynder can return home safe and sound.

The three guardians were about to make their way further into the city to investigate the rest of the damage when they heard a faint ringing that entered their ears. At first they thought it was a bird far off in the distance but then after the faint sound, they heard it again; louder this time. All three dragons looked back at each other to see if they each had heard the strange sound. They all heard it but didn't know where it was coming from until they heard it once more, still faint but recognizable.

"Hay, wait up," A voice echoed from behind the guardians still in the runs of Warfang.

The guardians heard the faint voice from behind them; they all turned around to see what they heard when they saw a bright glowing light zipping straight to them. Within seconds, a figure was able to be seen in the glowing stream of light. It was Sparx and he was the cause of the light that was radiating off of his tiny body. Within a few more seconds he finally reached the group of guardians and he went straight to Terrador and rested a tiny hand on the massive dragon's shoulder, gasping for oxygen to bring his heart rate down. He tried to speak but he was so out of breath that all that came out was a blow of air. After a near minute of gasping, coughing, and speaking gibberish, he finally was able to bring his breathing down to normal before he spoke.

"Sheesh, I know I talk a lot but I thought you guys would of tried to get rid of Volteer before me. I guess I was wrong, you don't stop for anything," Sparx said between breaths.

"It's not that Sparx, even though I would abandon Volteer way before you," Cyril said in a quiet voice looking a Volteer, wishing for once in his lift, he wasn't so energized in his yapping. "We just needed to see if the city was still standing, it is duty after all." Cyril finished while slamming a paw into the ground lightly.

"Now just wait a second, Cyril, I may have an electrified tongue and a distinctive vocabulary but at least I don't speak in that preposterous, obnoxious, and down right annoying accent of yours." Volteer said staring at the ice guardian with anger on his features. Both guardians looked at each other with an angry look on their muzzles. Sparx flew up and hid behind Terrador's wing, not wanting to look at the two dragons fighting. The electricity and the ice dragon both started to charge up their attacks, they had blue and yellow energy building up in the back of their throats and was ready to blast out when suddenly the big earth dragon walked in-between the two dragons blocking their breaths attacks with his massive wings just in time before they unleashed their element attacks.

"Would you two _stop_ fighting?" Terrador said out loud with his deep roaring voice as it echoed through out the whole city. Cyril and Volteer were completely shocked and terrified by how angry he was; as long as they have known the earth dragon, they have never seen him so angry before. The two other guardians just stood there in silent for a several long seconds before the earth guardian spoke again.

"How can you do this?" Terrador asked. "How can you two be fighting when our good friend, Spyro saved all of us, and if it wasn't for him then we would have all perished? And now you use this time to bicker over something meaningless while we don't even know if he made it out!" He shouted as his voice started to shake the walls of the building. Again, Cyril and Volteer were frightened by the anger of the earth dragon's voice.

"Instead of fighting, we should get some troops ready to find our heroes and bring them back home. When Spyro and Cynder return home because I know they're out there somewhere, I think they need to take your places and become guardians themselves. What you two have been doing is not acceptable and not what a true guardian does at all!" With that, Terrador turned around and left to go to the main temple in the city to cool down and to make sure it's still intact. Sparx just floated where he was when he was behind the earth dragon, but now that Terrador had left, he didn't know who to stick around.

"Ah, there's just no one to be with without getting into the mess of thing." Sparx mumbled to himself, not knowing who he would be better with; Cyril and Volteer with their childish problems or the now angry Terrador? But after looking back and forth between the three, he finally made a decision and took off to the earth guardian.

Volteer and Cyril hung their heads down low, they just stood there for several long minutes not even a small look up at each other, they knew that Terrador was right, guardians were never suppose to act like that over something so childish. The thought of what they have been doing weighed heavy on their mines and grew at a rapid pace. But when Terrador mentioned the purple dragon only seceded to bring more heavy thoughts to their mines, how did the purple dragon do it? Where are our heroes? Did they even survive? And will they be coming home? All they could do is wait.

As Terrador was walking back to the temple to see the condition it was in, Sparx tagged along trying to get far away from the other guardians as much as possible and let them talk it over a muck's themselves. The earth guardian was deep in his thoughts, thinking of how Spyro can contain such power to reunite the pieces of the world and bring them back together. He believed that Ignitus knew that Spyro was destine to do great thing, but never in a million years he ever thought that the young purple dragon would do so much to save the ones he loved and cherished the most, to protect them from evil and bring a new age, an age of peace even if it meant sacrificing himself to do so. Terrador was so caught up in his thought that he didn't even know that he stop dead in his tracks and Sparx was trying to get his attention.

"Helloooo," Sparx said noticing that the earth guardian had just stopped unexpectedly in the middle of the street and started to wave a hand in front of the earth dragon's face. After a few small moments of waving, Sparx started to get a little impatient by the large dragon not responding, so the dragonfly buzzed up to the green dragon and started to hit him lightly on the snout. "Hello! Big guy is there a reason why you stopped in the middle of the street and not going to the temple to wait for my brother?" Sparx said between hits and also a little annoyed by what he was doing, if he knew what he was doing. After a whole minute of hitting lightly on the snout, the large dragon still was staring into nothingness; Sparx then flew up and now was floating an inch away from his head and started to hit him on top of the head with a tiny fist, now with more force.

Terrador finally snapped out of his trance when he noticed Sparx still tapping on top of his head, he glared his eyes at the yellow glowing dragonfly as he was getting annoyed by the constant patting on him.

"Sparx, do you mine?" Terrador said with a little annoyance and a hint of anger in his tone.

"Oh, sorry Terrador, you just stopped all of a sudden and were staring into space or something." Sparx said apologizing. Sparx felt sadden be his little anger at him, he was just a little confused of the look on the earth guardian's features, a stare of blankness; then Sparx hung his head and dropped his antennas, staring at the ground. "I-I sorry, I di-didn't mean to bother you." When Sparx was done speaking, he started to buzz off in the opposite direction away from the earth guardian and try not to cause any more trouble.

"Don't be sad Sparx; I didn't notice that I've stopped," he finished with a chuckle and the dragonfly couldn't help but crack a smile. "I was in a thought, a thought about are young warriors," Terrador said with a sigh at the end. Sparx heard the earth dragon's words where they laughed at the earth dragon's embarrassment and turned around; he fluttered back to him but was still looking down with a sad look on his face.

"I'm sorry Terrador," Sparx sighed. "I guess, I guess I'm just lonely without Spyro." Sparx paused for a minute thinking about his purple brother. He never knew that he'll feel that lonely without him.

"You see, this is the first time we have ever been separated, and, and I just miss him so much, I just don't want anything to happen to him. I just couldn't live with myself if that purple thing never came back." When Sparx finished speaking, he hung his head even lower, even the light that glowed off of him died down to a dull yellow, sadden even more about the thought of his brother. Sparx tried very hard to hold the tears back but it wasn't hard enough, his emotions were so missed and mashed that for what seemed like the first time tears started to spill out of his eyes and down his face.

"Cheer up Sparx, They'll turn up," Terrador said while trying to perk up the little dragonfly. "It hasn't even been a day yet, it shall take them some time to recover before they can come home.

"Thanks, Terrador, but how can you be so sure that they aren't hurt and waiting for someone to find them or if it's too late? We can't just stay here and not do anything! We must go and find them!"

Sparx started to get tired of waiting, he wanted to look for his brother as soon as he can, and he couldn't help but think of his brother even more and knew he had to do something, but what? He then glared his eyes with determination in his mind, then started to fly as fast as he can to go search for his purple friend, but when he was about to go, a huge paw was waved in front of him, blocking him from going. Sparx flew to the right but the earth guardian's paw stopped him there, then he flew to the left, and Terrador blocked him again. Sparx started to get really mad, every time he'd make a move, Terrador would block him; did he not want me to go look for _my_ brother? Did he think I couldn't handle the journey? Sparx hovered in place for a few seconds getting angrier by the second; he then crossed his tiny arms before flying straight up face to face with the big earth dragon with a mean look across his face.

"Sparx, we'll do what we can; we are going to send our best warriors into search parties to look for them and we won't stop until we will be reunited, trust me." Terrador said.

"And I know they will come back because it is not their destiny to go, their destiny is to come home, enjoy their lives and live to fight another day. Besides, Ignitus is with them," The earth guardian then chuckled a little by the thought of Ignitus and what great lengths he will do for those two, "And I know Ignitus; he will give his life for those two to go on and finish their time. You have to trust me on this one; it might be weeks before they return but they'll turn up." Terrador finished not wanting to say the last part but knew it was right for Sparx to know that it might be some time for their heroes to return home.

Sparx eyes widened real big and his mouth dropped when the last words exited out of the earth dragon's mouth, he couldn't believe what he has just heard. Weeks! That one word kept spinning in his head, which he might not know if his brother is even still alive, but if he is, are they alright and are they on their way home as they speak, or is his not even going to come home at all?

"What! Weeks? But why so long?" Sparx said, completely dumbstruck by the brief word usage.

"I don't know. But we must be prepared." Then Terrador looked straight at Sparx with his big eyes. "But I am curtain they will return home. We just need to wait it out."

"Ok, ok, I believe you, after all, Cynder did make me a promise that she will take care of Spyro. I just hope she keeps it." Sparx said with a sigh, still a little terrified by Cynder and he may never trust her fully, but at this moment he didn't care, he just wanted his brother back.

"And Cynder will, you'll see. Terrador finished in a calm and settling voice to sooth the small dragonfly. Terrador smiled at the yellow dragonfly and Sparx returned the gender and they both started their way to the main temple. They still had a ways to go so it might get the purple dragon out of his mind; after all, the temple is in the heart of the city.

***.*.***

The air in the cave was tensed as the two brothers circled around each other, their eyes were glared and they showed their teeth in a snarl, waiting for who was going to make the first attack. Both dragons circled for another good minute until the first move was made by Zackary. He ran as fast as he could straight for his elder brother, when he closed haft the distant, he jumped into the air with a single flap of his wings and was about to pounce on the older red dragon. The red dragon saw him coming and rolled to the left side, then jumping to his feet to see what his brothers' next move would be.

"Not bad." Singe said, "Still a little slow as always but your getting better, maybe." The black dragon started to growl by the way his brother said those words. All his lift his brother has always been better then him at everything, weather it was running, flying, fighting, and even eating, his brother was always better then him.

"Well, this fight has just begun; I'll prove it to you, Singe." Zackary said getting ready to pounce again as he was crouched real low to the ground and his wings spread out wide making himself look bigger and more intimidating.

"Well right now you're doing a lot more talking and hardly any fighting, I'm still waiting." Singe said mockingly at his younger brother. All he ever does is pick on his little brother, but that is what makes him stronger. Even though the black dragon drives him crazy at times, Singe just wants the best for Zackary so he can live on without his older brother their by his side if ever needed. Every time the to brothers fight, Singe always goes somewhat easy on him; not easy enough for him to win but enough so Zackary can learn from his mistakes and become a better fighter to defend himself when times are in need.

Zackary was starting to get mad, he then crouched low to the ground and spread his wings to make him look threatening again. Now in a ready stance, he then reared his head back, cracked his mouth open wide, and blasted a beam of black fire straight at Singe with his entire mite. Again, Singe saw the attack coming and sidestepped to the right as the beam of black fire wised pass him and smashed into the wall of the cave behind him, causing a small creator in the face of the cave.

"Wow! I felt the wind off of that one." Singe said, still thinking that his brother can't hit him and hoping angering him will do the trick this time. Most of the time a dragon only wins a battle if he or she stays calm, but Zackary was unlike any other dragon; even though he cared for the only family he had and his heart was made of pure love and happiness, he only get close to seceding in a battle if he gets angry.

"Would you shut up and hold still so I can hit you!" Zackary shouted, this time, the black dragon was getting furious, he was trying all he could just to lay a hit but his brother just seemed so calm, dodging left and right like he was playing with a hatchling. Zackary was getting all fired up and fired a several more shots but Singe just sidestepped out of the way every time.

"You know, I'm starting to get board at this so I think I'm going to have a little fun with you." The red dragon said while yawning. A smirk spread across Singe's muzzle as a plan brood in his mind, then without warning, he ran straight to Zackary, full speed and all Zackary could see was a red blur running to him. It didn't take long for Singe to cover the ground between them and once he was in striking range; he raised his right talon and smacked his black younger brother in the side of his head. The blow was enough to nock Zackary in the air and back a few feet away from where he was standing. Zackary lied there for a little while, not much in pain but humiliation as how the red brother approached his so quickly. He then tried to shake the stars from his head and thinking about the red dragon's attack.

"_I never knew he can run that fast, I never even saw him."_ Zackary thought in his mind. All his life of being with his brother and never knew nor seen him run so fast. It took Zackary a few moments to get his bearing, but eventually he was able to shake the stars away completely and started to get up, this time madder then ever.

"Ok, that's it!" The black dragon shouted with anger. "I've had enough! This is my battle and I will beat you this time!"

"You know, you keep on saying that but who's always the winner? Oh, that's right, I am!" Singe said, trying to make his brother mad to see what his full potential really can do. Singe knew he had him, for the first time of fighting his brother, he felt a little scared. He didn't know his brothers full power, it could be way worse then he thought, but now there was no going back.

Zackary had had it, you can see the black shadow fire spark between his jaws, he waited a little while to build up as much power into his attack as he could and after a few more seconds for charging energy, the black dragon opened his jaws and a massive beam of dark fire shot out faster then the red dragon could see, Singe's eyes widen as he saw the beam hurdling straight to him with great speeds, he was so shocked that Zackary could form a shot that big and powerful. Singe couldn't move an inch, his body froze by the size of the beam that all he could do was watch as the beam of dark shadow fire slams him on his right flank at full force. The red dragon was send back flying straight into the cave wall several meters behind him, leaving an impact crater on the wall before falling flat on his face. He groaned as he tried to get up. For the first time in his life he felt pain from an attack that Zackary landed on him. The elder dragon tried to fight the little pain he had and tried to stand back up to his paws; after a while of falling a few times, he manages to get back up to his feet and tried to shake the stars from his head.

"Wow, you manage to through a hit on me, looks like the training I'm giving you is finally paying off," Singe said, proud that his younger brother is getting better with his attacks and hoping one day his younger brother will become a expert of his moves and element.

"Well, I learn from the best, but I think I can beat you right here and right now." Zackary said, confident that he can take on his older brother.

"Well bring it Zack," Sing said back at him. They circled some more until Singe was at the edge near the mouth of the cave. Zackary raised a brow and tilted his head as in idea went through his mind. Then it hit him, a smirk slowly started to spread across his muzzle, he then started to run as fast as his legs would carry him to the unaware red dragon. When he covered three fourths the ground, he propelled off the ground with his hind legs and aimed straight for his brother. Singe never saw it coming when the black dragon wrapped his forepaws around him and dove off the edge of the cave.

The two dragons were falling straight off a cliff where the cave entrance was on, they hissed and clawed at each other trying to get the upper advantage. Zackary was on top of Singe trying to keep him steady so he can slam him into the ground with great force, but the red brother had his own trick. The red dragon then twisted his body, extending his wings and knocking his brother off. Then as he whirled around, he was able to get on top of his brother; now with the advantage he then kicked the young black dragon with all four paws straight to the ground. Zackary didn't have time to think, he was shocked that his brother saw an opportunity to get on top, which he didn't realize that he was hurdling straight to the ground rapidly. By the time he thought of why his brother was so high in the sky, he turned his body and saw the ground real close; Zackary tried to back wing but it was too late and he slammed the ground hard.

Zackary groaned as he laid there on the ground in pain by the impact to the ground, and after a few seconds later Singe landed on the ground next to his fallen brother.

"I win!" Singe said before turning around and walked in the opposite direction but a little surprised that Zackary didn't win; he had the advantage, he had the power but he lacked one of the most important things there is and that was timing. The black dragon then tried to get back up but only succeed to fall on his side once again. He tried to stand again, but to his surprise, this time he managed to get up to his feet but looking down at the ground, breathing hard. He still wasn't finished; he still had one more trick up his sleeve. The black dragon then started to concentrate and was trying to bring as much power he possibly could. After he felt a surge of power enter the center of his body, he rose to his hind legs and his eyes turned into slits when he looked up.

Singe felt an uneasy silence in the breeze; something was not right, the red dragon looked back to check on if his brother was the cause of the unsettlement, and when he made a full one hundred eighty degree turn, Singe's eyes widen when he saw his brother started to flout in mid air swirling with black shadow fire, Zackary was going into a full out fury. The black dragon was now a super dark black as he charged more and more power into the fury with glowing white eyes.

"Oh, SHIT!" Singe cussed. Just after he said his words, Zackary relised his fury as black fire spread several dozen meters at a rapid paste. Singe could only watch as a wall of black energy raced to him; there was nothing he could do but stand their and brace for the impacted. Once it had reached the red dragon, it thrashed Singe several meters away tossing and turning him like a ragdoll, when Zackary's fury was over, he then saw a red motionless body about a hundred feet away.

"Oh whatever," He said and rolled his eyes knowing that his older brother was faking it. He hit the ground running straight to his brother to finish his victory, when he got to the red dragon he jumped on his brother and pinned him to the ground and were now eye to eye with each other.

"I win!" Zackary said happily. He wanted to say those words for so long now and now he could.

"I can't believe it," Singe said dumbstruck by his brother's attack. "You beat me! You _beat_ me for the first time; I thought you would have been a lazy dragon but I guess I was kinda wrong." Zackary glared his eyes by the words then looked back at the cave they live in.

"Race you back to the cave," Zackary said as he jumped off of his brother and was running as fast as he can to the cave.

"Hey, no fair, you got a head start," Singe complained but then laughed a little. He was so happy that his young brother was now getting more mature, even though he let him win and didn't even use his element he was just relieved that Zackary could defend for himself even more then before. Singe was so caught up in his thoughts that he forgot about his brother that was now starting to fly up to the cave. He laughed a little more as he then took off running to catch up to his younger brother.

* * *

><p><strong>So what did you think about the fight seen? I have been planing on writing that for a LONG time and now, IT'S HERE! YAY! And YAY! He's alive. YAY! XD<strong>

**So please R&R and tell me if this chapter is better. D**

**The next chapter WILL be on on the 13th of April. So until next time :D**


	3. Chapter 2

**Well here it is. Another one. :D Hope you all like it, I thought I'll never get done with this one so, ENJOY! :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Spyro groaned as he started to wake up form his little slumber, it has now been two days sense he, Cynder, and Ignitus had left the safety of Warfang to stop the big evil dragon named Malefor. The purple dragon groaned quietly and started to move side to side a little, then cracked his eyes open a little bit but then snapped them shut again. After a while, he yawned, opened his eyes fully, and looked around to gather his bearings. He looked all around and everything remained the same, but Spyro just had a feeling that something or someone was missing. Spyro's eyes widen when he found out what was not right and then he noticed that Cynder was not next to him. He was shocked by that he was alone and Cynder had left him; a little hurt, and a little worried that she was not there or where she was. He tried to get up expecting a struggle of pain, stiffness, and weakness, but to his surprise, he manages to get up to his feet feeling neither pain nor weakness, not even a little stiff. Spyro had a confused look spread across his muzzle as he looked over his body of why he was able to get up so easily.

"Well isn't that odd, yesterday I hardly could lift a paw but only one day's sleep and I feel almost like I was when we defeated, ah…_Him._" Spyro hesitated by the mention of the big purple dragon that caused him and Cynder so much pain. The thought of the life Cynder went through was like a knife through his heart, seeing such a kind and innocent dragoness be forced to do what he commanded, just made Spyro growl and glad that that dragon had been killed and got what he deserved. Spyro had a deep snarl across his features, not knowing how he could relax by the anger of what happened; but the thought of the black dragoness seem to calm him down. She is now free from the Dark Master's hold and she can live a normal and happy life from then on. After he fully calmed down, he thought back a few minutes earlier of how he got up; now confused on how he was able to do so quite easily, he still felt a little weak but he is able to move around without much pain. Then something crossed Spyro's mind again; where was Cynder?

Spyro was starting to get more concerned; he stood there in place turning his head left and right to see where the black dragoness could have gone to but to no relief of finding a way where she could have gone. Just before the purple dragon could run off in search for her, from behind him, he could here claws clanging on the stone floor, getting louder every passing second.

Spyro jumped by the sudden noise and he spun around to see what the cause of it was when he saw a black dragoness running straight to him. The purple dragon took a relieved sigh by the sight of Cynder and started to walk to her, trying to maintain a steady speed but only he could do was walk at a slow paste sense he hadn't use his muscles in two days. Spyro did notice that the black dragoness was carrying two small items in her mouth; they were spirit gems, one red and the other green. Despite Spyro walking at a sluggish paste, Cynder managed to close in the gap between then in a short time by running. When they both were close to each other, Spyro took a deep breath and sighed again in relief that she had come back and was not hurt in any way.

"Thank the ancestors you're ok," Spyro said at length. Cynder walk up closer to Spyro and bent her head down to put the gems on the ground, then she looked at him with a brow raised up.

"Oh, did you miss me or something?" The black dragoness said in a confuse tone.

"Oh, well it's that, well anything could be down here for all we know. I mean, I don't want you to get hurt, well I don't want anybody to get hurt but, you know what I'm saying, right?" Spyro said giving Cynder a goofy smile and a brow raised.

"_Oh great, I blew it now. I'm such an idiot!"_ Spyro thought. Cynder couldn't help but laugh a little by his stuttering, knowing that he was probably embarrassed by his words but she understood him. After Cynder laughed at him a little, Spyro hung his head down low, but then noticed the spirit gems she dropped down on the ground to speak. Spirit gems, here, in the bottom of the volcano. That just cannot be, can it? The thought was rushing through his mind of where she got them and how. Spyro, now embarrassed more then ever by his mumbling took several long minutes until he finally found confident to speak.

"W-where d-did you find those?" The purple dragon sputtered in his words, still embarrassed but surprised of where she could have found them.

"Oh yeah, I found them in a cave over there," she said while pointing with her right wing to the cave that she exited behind her. "While you were still resting, I went out in search for a way to escape when I found a small little cave entice that I was just able to fit in. When I entered, there were hundreds of red and green spirit gems, so I brought them back and started heeling you with them."

To Spyro, everything seemed to make sense; why Cynder was not there when he awoke and where she has gone to, and why he didn't feel any pain or weakness and was able to get right up without any hesitation. Then the purple dragon thought of one thing, one thing that still did not settle in properly, why were there hundreds of clusters of spirit gems in the middle of a volcano? Spyro then started to think of what Ignitus had told him several years ago, when he first encountered with such crystals, that they were a gift from the ancestors to heal and give you strength when needed. Nevertheless, no one ever told him where the crystals came from or how they formed. Spyro became deep in thought, so deep that he did not even know that he was starring right at Cynder.

"Spyro, Spyro, SPYRO!" Cynder shouted trying to get his attention. Spyro jumped back a little by his name shouted out so loudly, he shook his head, resuming back to reality, when he noticed Cynder was trying to get his attention. The purple dragon was confused and a little upset of why she yelled his name, which caused him to jump.

"What's wrong Cynder?" Spyro asked.

"Well, you were starring at me," Cynder said back but now confused. Why was he staring at me? Was it a like stare? Was it a discus stare? Alternatively, was it a regular daydreaming stare? Nevertheless of what?

"Oh, I was? I am so sorry Cynder, I, I, I, was thinking, you know, w-why there, were-." Cynder suddenly cut off Spyro by pressing a claw agent his lips with a big grin that spread across her features. Now Spyro was even more embarrassed then before by his mumbling, but was also relieved that the black dragoness stopped him from speaking so now he couldn't make a bigger fool of himself.

"It's ok Spyro," Cynder said laughing, "I was curious about the same thing, but I don't know either." The black dragoness then laid her talon back to the ground, walked up beside Spyro, and nuzzled him lightly. Spyro was caught off guard by the friendly touches that send a chill down his entire body. Then Cynder draped her right wing around him, to show her kindness for him. Spyro's eyes widen by what Cynder was doing, more chills ran down his spine more rapidly and his legs became weak, like they were about to collapse from under him. Nevertheless, he manages to stay up right and is able to calm his nerves down, but only just a little and he seemed to enjoy Cynder's touch more then he thought.

"Do you want to see where I found them?" Cynder asked looking up at Spyro with a smile spread across her muzzle. Spyro couldn't help but smile back and giving a sharp nod of his head in agreement to Cynder. Then Cynder started to lead the way, still having a wing around Spyro. They were silent for the most part but even without words, Cynder knew that Spyro was at ease by her by his side. After a few more minutes of walking, Cynder looked at the corner of her eye and saw Spyro looking away from her, but she managed to see a smile across the side of his muzzle, and to see it that far back, she knew it was a big one. This was the first time in their life that Cynder became so affectionate to Spyro, the first time they were ever this close to one another. After another few minutes of walking, they finally came across a huge rock on the side of the huge cave they were in, the same huge rock that almost hit Cynder when she first woke up, but when they went around the big bolder, they were at a entrance of a small cave right behind it.

"Wow its dark in there," Spyro said; now very curious on how the black dragoness was able to see in such a dark tunnel. Even to a dragon, it still would be very difficult to navigate your way in a cave with such darkness.

"How were you able to see in a tunnel like this?" Spyro questioned.

"I couldn't, I just hoped that I wouldn't run into a wall or anything." Cynder finished with a smile; Spyro chuckled and smiled right back at her answer. The two dragons then entered the small pitch-black tunnel in search for the spirit gems; they couldn't see a thing, even when their eyes had fully adjusted after several minutes it was still like walking with a blindfold on. They walked even further and further into the tunnel, at first the cave went as a straight line and maintain that straight path for a while, but after a few dozen more minutes went by; it started to curve into corners.

"How deep does this cave go?" Spyro said to the black dragoness, starting to get tired of walking for so long.

"I don't really know," Cynder said back and still continued a steady paste deeper into the tunnel, "I never went the full length of the tunnel; I just stopped when I saw the clusters. There was another tunnel but it looked like it would be a very tight squeeze."

Cynder had been walking through the tunnel back and forth for so many times; bring the crystals to Spyro, so she could see in her mind where she was.

At least thought where she was.

However, Spyro had never been in it so he did not know where he was going or where they would lead up to. He just stayed close to Cynder and let her take the lead, but to Spyro's shock, he separated from Cynder for just a second, didn't even see it coming and hit the side of the cave on his right flank and the side of his snout that scraped across his scales.

"Ouch! Found the wall, I can't see it but I found it." He said confused of why the tunnel stopped all of a sudden, as if it was a dead end.

"Oh, we're closer then I thought," Cynder said as she remembered that the tunnel turned to the left and she rounded the corner without even touching the side.

"Come on, we're almost there." Then Spyro realized that the tunnel turned sharp left and went down even further as a tunnel of darkness.

"How did you know it turned sharp like that and not hit it?" Spyro wondered.

"How do you know I didn't run straight into it full on the first time?" Cynder answered as they both started to laugh. "Besides, you did the all the work by running into it before me so now I know where we are at and I didn't need to run into it twice." Again, they both laughed by her true little joke.

They started to walk even further down the second passageway; this one was about the same except it was completely straight. Only about a minute into the second passage, Cynder could make out a dim light at the end of the tunnel. Cynder's relief bust out when she saw the amazing little light that it put a small grin on her muzzle, even though it was so dim, it still made her fell very excided inside.

"There it is, come on lets go!" Cynder said as she sprinted as fast as her legs would carry her to the light at the end of the tunnel, laughing with excitement that she was able to find it again.

"HEY, wait for me," Spyro stated and then too started to run but just as he was about to get to his full speed, he stopped dead in his tracks and thought about his words that exited from his muzzle.

"Ha, I've been hanging out with Sparx for far too long," He said with a chuckle.

Spyro then started to think about his dragonfly brother; it may have been two days in the volcano but it has also been two days without his brother, two days without a glowing light above his head, two days without someone to complain or to joke around over everything that came around. Something Spyro missed a lot.

"Hey! You coming?" Cynder noticed the purple dragon had stopped a ways back and shouted to see what was wrong. Spyro shook his head as he came back from his little daydream of his brother by the sound of Cynder's voice.

"Oh, yeah, right." Spyro replied and started to run and catch up to Cynder, then chased her to the light. Spyro was trying to beat her to the crystal patch but despite him being still a little weak and the head start she had, Cynder was able to beat him easily. Finally, after an hour sense they started into the cave, they reached the entrance were the glow of hundreds of spirit gems shined out.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Spyro said in awe by the light that shined out of the cave entrance. Spyro stood in place for a few seconds, and then the purple dragon took a few steps back, extended his wing, and pointed it to the passageway.

"Ladies first," he said politely.

Cynder turned to face him and smiled, she blushed by the nice offer as she started to enter the tunnel entrance. As she was walking into the tunnel, a thought kept racing through her mind, the thought that happened two days ago when she said the three words that she wanted to say to him for a long time.

_Did he here me when I said that I love him?_

Does he even have the same feelings for me? Does he still want to be around me? All those thoughts kept eating away at her; she wanted to know now, but knew she had to wait to get the best answer.

Cynder then fully entered the small tunnel but with a little squeeze. Now, it was Spyro's turn, the purple dragon started to squeeze through but with a little more effort then Cynder, but managed to get though in no time. When Spyro entered completely, he brushed himself off from any dirt with his paw, but when he finished, he then looked up and gasped in amazement.

"Wow! This is incredible," Spyro said in awe. What he saw was breathtaking, the tunnel opened up to a huge dome shaped room that spanned about twenty meters in diameter and there were crystals on the walls that laminated the whole room in a beautiful and romantic color of light. Small little paths went in between the red and green gems, but at the middle, it opened up a clearing from the gems, big enough for two adult dragons to fit in the middle comfortably. In addition, at the other side of the dome was another small tunnel, the one Cynder was talking about earlier that she saw but never went in to see for herself.

"I guess all the years of this volcano being so active all the time caused a tremendous amount of presser to form all of these spirit crystals?" Spyro guessed.

The purple dragon's theory was almost spot on, but what he couldn't wrap his mind around was, why wasn't it destroyed by the initial blast by the volcano? Sure, of that a blast to end the world should be enough to destroy a delicate life source as these. He was in deep thought trying to come up with an exclamation of why they all survived, unless it was created by the blast itself when the world was breaking up. Nevertheless, that could not have been it; it takes hundreds of years for crystals to grow and especially that much, not just one day. Every time Spyro could come up with a thought of how their there, it just gets blown out of the water by another thought.

"This is just amazing," Cynder said in awe, "This place had to of been preserved for hundreds of years, and yet we might be the only one who knows about it." The black dragoness finished, and then started to walk slowly through the paths that cut between the crystals, looking up and down, side to side on her way to the center of where it opened up from the colorful gems.

Spyro just sat there; staring at the black dragoness as she gracefully walked her way to the middle. Again, the purple dragon was in deep thought, but not on the crystals, but on Cynder, thinking of the words that he thought he heard her say that night. He knew she was the speaker and sworn he heard her say those words, but he wasn't certain.

"_Did I really here her say that? And if I did, did she mean it?"_Spyro thought, _"I really like Cynder but don't know if she likes me back the same way._"

Cynder then reached the middle of the cave where it cleared off from the crystals into a decent size and surprisingly comfortable circle; she laid down in the middle and closed her eyes to get a little bit of rest before they go on search to find their way out. Spyro only watched as the black dragoness lied down on her hutches for a little rest, facing the opposite direction; he then knew that he had to make his move.

"_Ok, I need to do it, I've got to tell her how much I career about her, how much, how much I love her."_ Spyro hung his head down and looked at the ground, still in thought of what he should do. _"Ignitus always told me to trust my instincts and to fallow my hart, so that is what I'm going to do, and what better place to do it then now, surrounded by these beautiful crystals?"_ The purple dragon then raised his head; his eyes focused on Cynder and took a deep breath. Then he spoke, but so quietly that only he could here himself.

"I love you, Cynder,"

That was all the words he could say, but it manage to put a big grin that spread across his muzzle, just so happy to say those words, for someone he cared about ever sense the first time he knew she wasn't truly evil. He then started to walk his way through the maze of spirit gems over to the black dragoness, walking a little faster as each turn he made between the mazes of spirit gems until he was at a steady jog. Even though his legs wanted to collapse by still being a little weak, he didn't care and pushed himself as fast as he could go at that moment. He eventually made it to the edge of the clearing of crystals and came to a skidding halt. Spyro that watched Cynder rested her head on her front paws for a small slumber, exhausted by running back and fourth trying to heel her purple friend. Spyro saw the black dragoness rest her head down, so he knew he had to make his move right then and now.

The purple dragon took a deep breath, filling his lungs until he couldn't take anymore oxygen and releasing it all at once in a big sigh. He stood there, nerviest as some second thought nerves kicked in, trying to turn him away, Spyro took another deep breath and released as a sigh again, calming his nerves to a point that he felt comfortable with what he felt in his heart.

"_Ok, I can do this,"_ Spyro said to himself, _"I just hope she feels the same way?"_

Cynder lied there, trying to get as much sleep as she can before they continue on their search to find their way out of the baron place their were in. It has been over two days sense the defeat of Malefor and they haven't had any food or water throughout their whole ordeal, even though she was tired by running all that time, she was extremely weak by lack of energy. She gathered some green spirit gems for herself on her trips, but they did little help and she didn't know why. They helped heal Spyro but only a little, but the gems didn't seem to work as much as they did before. They always worked before, but why aren't they working now? Cynder couldn't find the answer to why. Through the whole event, she was starting to get dehydrated and was getting a little slow in her actions, but nothing to series yet.

Her eyes were closed, trying to fall asleep and relax all her troubles away, but for some reason, she couldn't seem to fall asleep, she had a feeling that something was going to happen and it wasn't going to be pleasant but couldn't figure out what it would be. Nevertheless, she didn't think it would be serious and so she shoved the thought into the back of her mind and focused on something else. Then another strange feeling flooded Cynder's mind, it wasn't the last feeling, this one was different, like someone was walking up to her. Just after, she heard claws clanging the stone floor and suddenly knew who it was, but that wasn't the unpleasant feeling that she had before. She just pushed that thought away again when it entered her mind once more, thinking that it was just nerves of how or if they would get out. Cynder then opened her eyes and turned her head to see Spyro walking to her, the purple dragon stopped dead in his tracks when Cynder turned her head around, surprised that she wasn't in a slumber yet.

"Hey, Spyro, everything ok?" Cynder questioned as she tilted her head in a confused look, seeing the nervousness across Spyro's feathers.

"Hey, Cynder, can I ask you something?" Spyro said, and then sat down on his hutches about a meter away next to Cynder's left flank.

"Anything, Spyro, what do you want to talk about?

Spyro took a deep breath and released all the air in his lungs into a deep, long sigh; he was so nerviest by what he was going to say, what he wanted to say. He was just about to ask the most important question that he has ever made in his life, he stared in her stunning green eyes as they reflected all the kindness that was in her heart and soul, and then he knew he wanted to be with her. The purple dragon realized that he left an open question and came back to reality, then shook the second thoughts away for good and took a breath of air, ready to speak.

"Cynder," He turned his sight to his front paws, "b-back up there, w-when I-I was concentrating on bringing the world back together," he hesitated some more but was able to calm himself down to finish, "d-did, y-you-"Spyro was suddenly cut off.

"What was that?" Cynder shot up to her feet, cutting off Spyro from finishing his words, by a very small tremor in the earth beneath them.

"I felt it too," Spyro finished and too got up to all fours in no time.

They both stood there for several moments, wondering what was going to happen or if the cave they were in was going to fall right on top of them; that was what they feared the most. Then, without warning, a large earthquake shook the ground violently. The two dragons were caught off guard by the large tremor that they almost lost their footing as the ground continued to shake, but they managed to say up right.

"Cynder, Run!" Spyro demanded.

They both wasted no time and ran as fast as their legs would carry them to the small entrance where they have come from. Even though the dome was big enough for two adult dragons to fit contently in the middle and still have room to spare, it wasn't tall enough for the two young dragons to jump up to the air and fly to the opening, so they had to run and jump as fast as they can to get past the crystals.

Surprisingly, they were able to get past the crystals without a struggle and they made great time doing so, but the two dragons weren't fast enough. As they made it to the entrance, a ton of rocks and debris came crashing down in front of their exit rout and in front of Spyro. Somehow, the purple dragon stopped dead in his tracks and spun around, avoiding every rock that came down. In addition to the tragic event, as quickly as it came, the earthquake was gone a split second later. However, everything seemed to be in tacked, even the spirit crystals, not one gem had neither a crack nor a chip taken out, and all were fine; like they're were shielded by a protective force. The only damage was the blocked tunnel with huge chunks of earth and rock.

"Nooo!" Spyro shouted and ran up to the pile of rock, ignoring that Cynder was right next to him. As soon as Spyro arrived at the pile of debris, he took his front talons and tried to dig as much rock and dirt as he could. He dug as fast as he could but with little progress, after a few minutes, Spyro realized that he wasn't making any progress, all the rocks were wedged together tightly, nothing would be able to clear the tunnel. Spyro then gave up after five minutes of digging and sat down, just staring at the closed off tunnel, in deep thought of how they were going to get out of the cave now.

"Spyro, it's no use, we're not going to be able to go through this way." Cynder pleaded.

Spyro heard the black dragoness and then stood back up and started to walk his way back to Cynder. He walked at a very slow pace with his head hung down low, heartbroken by what just happened. He was just about to tell Cynder that he loves her and now they might not make it out alive at all. Spyro reached Cynder and brushed his head against hers, Cynder responded with a light nuzzle when she felt the sadness from the purple dragon; almost as if she could feel his emotions. They both stood there, sadden by the thought that they might never see daylight again, or even return to the Dragon City, or worse, Spyro would never see his brother again. After a long pause, Spyro finally broke the silence but with timid voice.

"I don't know what to do anymore," Spyro said as his voice broke up between words; he closed his eyes hard and pressed his head against Cynder's a little harder. Cynder responded back and pressed her head against Spyro's even more, also saddened by the thought that this maybe their last moments. The black dragoness also closed her eyes as a few fresh tears seeped out and trickled down her cheeks and to Spyro's neck. Spyro felt the liquid run down his neck to his chest but didn't really care, he wanted to be strong for Cynder and say that they will make it out, but unsure himself, he didn't want to lie to the dragoness he cared so much for and gave in.

The air in the cavern was still and quite, anything, even a small pebble could be heard if it fell. There was another long silence that went by, and then Spyro eventually opened his eyes, he looked at the black dragoness, still applying pressure against his head in an emotional bond. Even though they were, sadden by the collapses, it managed to put a smile on his muzzle that they were very close friends. After when he took his sight off of the black dragoness, he looked straight across the cave, his eyes grew real wide in surprise by what he saw, all the way on the other side of the dome was the smaller cave Cynder talked about earlier. Could this be our way out? Then he yanked back from Cynder's nuzzle in shock, happiness and even a little relieved by what lied ahead.

"Spyro, what is it? What's wrong?" Cynder asked, giving a confused look at the purple dragon and a little worried by how fast he pulled back.

"Cynder, look behind you." Spyro said at length.

As soon as Spyro had finished speaking, the black dragoness turned around slowly, a little frightened by what she thought she was going to see, but when she completed her one hundred and eighty degree turn, she saw nothing. Cynder thought she was going to see rocks, boulders, and other debris that littered the whole cavern and all the spirit gems in roans, but she didn't see anything wrong. The black dragoness scanned the whole cave, looking back and forth to see what Spyro was so wide-eyed about. Cynder continued to look but couldn't find anything.

"_What is he talking about? I don't see anything."_ Cynder thought. She looked for several more seconds until her sight came across the small tunnel entrance on the other side of the cave, then her eyes also widened in surprise and her heart started to pound rapidly, full of joy by the thought that they might still have a chance to make it out alive.

"Spyro, the small cave I was talking about, it's not blocked off," Cynder said excitedly, "this may be our only way out!"

"Precisely," Spyro said smiling at the black dragoness, "now let's hope we can fit through and also hope that it leads to the surface so we can get out of this death hole."

"I couldn't agree more," Cynder, agreed, smiling and also giggling because of the fact that the purple dragon said those exact words, the same words she was thinking in her mind. Again, the same weird feeling she had before, she knew what he was going to say before he did. Cynder was a little puzzled by the strange prediction but she just brushed it off again and focused on the important thing of their way out.

"Let's go," Cynder finished with a chuckle.

The two dragons didn't waste any time to get to the opening, despite how drained they were from hunger and dehydration, they somehow found the strength to run and jump over the couple meter tall spirit crystals and managed to clear every single item that blocked their way to the small tunnel entrance.

After a few seconds later, the two young dragons finally made it to the small cave in record time, but as they walked even closer to the tunnel, they then realized how small it really was; Cynder might be able to make it through, but sense Spyro has a more muscular body, he might have a harder time getting through.

"It seems smaller then we thought it was," the black dragoness said, now a little worried that they might not be out of it yet.

"Let's hope it opens up further down," Spyro tried to comfort Cynder so she would not have to worry about the situation, but it was hard for him considering he was still frighten by their survival.

"Go on, Cynder, you may go first," Spyro said politely and backed away from the small cave, allowing the black dragoness to step through.

"Thanks, Spyro."

She then walked up to the purple dragon and nuzzled him nicely; Cynder closed her eyes as if in a trance by the warmth from Spyro's body and also soothed her by the feeling. She took a depressing sigh before she broke free from the some-what hug.

"Cynder, something wrong?" Spyro asked a little worried by her sigh, he could feel something deep down that she was depressed about something, but he didn't know what.

"Huh, what? Oh, I-I'm fine." Cynder replied. Spyro still wasn't convinced, he gave the black dragoness a doubtful look before speaking again.

"Are you sure? Because if there is anything you need to talk about, I'm here for you."

"No, really, I'm fine, but thanks," Cynder finished with a goofy smile. Spyro wasn't satisfied with her answer but he shook it off and continued on with their breakout. After when Spyro gave her a satisfaction nod, she continued to walk until she was right at the entrance. She stopped right at the cave and turned her head back to Spyro.

"I'll let you know what is on the other side," Cynder finished and gave another light chuckle before turning her sights back to the cave.

"I'll be waiting," Spyro said before Cynder was about to step in, saying with a light chuckle also.

The black dragoness then made her way to the cave; the crack in the wall was low to the ground so Cynder had to crouch down on her belly and crawl through, which made thing a whole lot more difficult to get through for her. Cynder couldn't see a thing as she started her way through the tunnel, all was pitch black, but she just used her gut instincts, a little bit of her shadow element, and her mind to lead the way.

Now, only a minute in her journey, Cynder's body has completely vanished from Spyro's view. Spyro was now regretting his decision on letting Cynder go first, not knowing if there are any hidden dangers inside the tunnel, and if Cynder ever got hurt, Spyro would never forgive himself. He knew now that if he would of gone first and did make it to another open pocket, then Cynder's slimmer body would easily squeeze right though. All he could do was wait and hope Cynder would be safe and find an opening quickly as time ticked by.

The black dragoness groaned as she started to tier out from a long exhausting struggle of trying to squeeze through the tiny tunnel. Thankfully the cave was straight and free from sharp edges so it made her efforts a lot more promising; finally, after what felt like hours but was only a several minutes, Cynder could feel that the walls that pressed against her body tightly were starting to spread apart further away from her. The black dragoness eventually is able to be back up to her paws and was finally out of that uncomfortable position. Cynder couldn't see at all in the darkness but by the feel of where she's at, she could tell this cave was a whole lot bigger then the previous one just by how the air felt, it didn't feel cramped.

"Ok, Spyro, I'm through," Cynder shouted in the small cave that she squirmed her way out of, "all I can tell you is it's really tight but you don't need to go far before you're on the other side. I can tell that it does open up very big but I am not curtain how big because I can't see a thing in here. When she finished, she then heard her echo that bounced off the walls and she could make out a picture in her head of how big it really was just by the sound of her voice, now Cynder was curtain that this might be their best chances of opening up to the surface.

"Ok, I can take care of the lighting issue." Spyro finished and ran to the nearest crystal, and he then whacked a talon across the gem, shattering it into hundreds of pieces, and he was able to retrieve two small glowing fragments of the crystal in his mouth before he headed back to the cave where he will begin his uncomfortable squeeze through the small opening. Spyro made his way to the cave to start his challenging effort but this time, Spyro has some glowing gems to lighten the path, something he wishes he gave Cynder on her way through.

The purple dragon then crouched down on his belly to get as low as possible to the ground and started his crawl into the tight tunnel. As he went in, he then realized how tight of a fit it really was, it was quite in effort for him as he struggled for the first couple of meters. Five minutes went by and Spyro started groaning by shear exhaustion, even though Cynder healed him with spirit gems, he's still a little drained by the past event. Time seemed to go by slowly as the purple dragon still struggled to make his way through, sense Spyro had a more muscular frame then Cynder, he took longer then the black dragoness and was a much tighter squeeze for him. As he squirmed further into the small cave, he then noticed from the light of the crystals, that there were rocks above him that were barley attached. As the slightest vibrations could dislocate them, he was a little worried about the rocks that they could fall on top of him if ever another earthquake happened but after a while, he was able to shove the terrifying thought to the back of his mind and continue his journey further into the tunnel.

"Are you ok in there?" Cynder asked nervously by the groaning sounds he made.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, just a little tight, that's all," Spyro said panting hard but managed to put on a small chuckle afterwards.

Cynder waited patiently in the dark, hoping the purple dragon would be alright on his way through, she could here him groaning from exhaustion but wasn't able to see the light from the spirit crystals that he was carrying. Several more long and intense minutes went by and the black dragoness then was able to see a glimmer of light. She blinked a couple times just by the thought that her eyes might be playing tricks on her on what she wants to see, but when she opened her eyes again, Cynder knew it wasn't no mistake and that there was a glowing light inside the tunnel, getting brighter by every passing second. The sight of the dim glow was enough to put butterflies in her stomach, just thrilled that Spyro was almost out, then after a few more moments, she could finally see a purple thing coming closer to her with two different color orbs of light.

"Spyro!" Cynder shouted out in excitement by the sight of the purple dragon, reaching the end of his ordeal.

Spyro, now able to see the end of the small cramped cave and was able to move a little easier as the walls were starting to spread away from his body. Even though it was getting easier on him to move, he still couldn't stand up sense it was still too low for him. He moved a little bit more and finally, he could see the black dragoness from the glowing light right next to the opening of the cave waiting for his arrival, and now able to get his head fully out into the open.

"Cynder, take these," Spyro said, tossing the crystals out of his mouth to Cynder so she could see around as he continued to crawl out. He finally was able to get his two front paws out and he started to push his paws agents the rock, but as he was haft way out, he stopped immediately when he felt another tremor in the earth. Spyro's stomach turned by the feeling of what was going to happen, but before he could reacted, another large earthquake shook the cave violently. The two dragons froze by the unexpected tremor, all around the cave, rocks and debris started to rain down on the dragons but Cynder managed to dodge them all, but Spyro, on the other hand wasn't as lucky, the rocks he was worried about earlier fell right on top of him, crushing his right hind leg, shattering the bone. Spyro hollered in pain as the tremor died off right away. The pain was unbarring, as if a thousand needles pressed hard into his leg as slowly as possible. Cynder's heart sank when the sound of Spyro's scram pounded agents her ears, heartbroken by what had just happened to the one she loved. She screamed at the top of her lungs, saying only one word when her eyes made contacted with him.

"SPYRO!"

* * *

><p><strong>NOOOOOO! SPYRO! What is happening to him! Well I know but you just need to wait 3 weeks for the next one (Chapter 3) I know, WHAT! 3 WEEKS! I can tell you this but the chapters will be updated faster in the summer. Ok? <strong>

**Thanks to all who have read and/or reviewed. ;D I get SOOO happy when I get one. :D So thanks! **

**Til next time. ;D**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey, I live! xD Sorry for this LONG wait, this chapter became longer then I EVER planned to be. However, I think it turned out good, all 22,345 words of it. :P But I don't think I'll write a chapter this long for a while, maybe around 10,000-15,000 wds. Between two jobs, school, personal life, and story, I don't even have enough time to eat a sandwich! D:!  
><strong>  
><strong>And also sorry for not updating on the 2nd. I was going to but my internet failed. D: But it's all good now. :D <strong>

**I've worked so hard on this chapter and added I think the best scenes in the story so far. I'm sorry for my mistakes in the past and I'll try to fix them later if I can, but I think you won't find as many in this one. Nonetheless, if you do, please let me know so I can make sure I don't do it again.**

**Ok, that's enough out of me, on with chapter 3-4. :D Enjoy**

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

"SPYRO!"

Cynder hollered as her blood ran cold by the sound of the purple dragon's cries; she was horrified by the thought of what has happened to her purple friend. Immediately, she grabbed a glowing crystal in her jaws and threw it a little ways into the cave where Spyro is trapped in. The black dragoness froze when she made eye contact with the purple dragon as the crystal lit up the cramped cave. What she saw horrified her even more, Cynder witnessed Spyro lying on the ground in deep pain as a huge bolder rested on top of his back leg, crushing the bone into splinters inside his leg, to see Spyro in a stage of great pain just made the black dragoness burst out crying.

"SPYRO!" Cynder cried; tears started to run down the black dragoness face at a steady stream, scared to death by the position and agony he was in. Cynder then started to run back into the cave to try and free her purple friend, she just started to crouch down but when she was about to enter even further, Spyro held a paw in front of him, trying to stop the black dragoness from coming near him any closer.

"Cynder, no!" Spyro hollered, but then gritting his teeth in pain when he flinched a little, "d-don't get any closer,"

"W-what! Spyro, you're hurt. I need to help you get out before another earthquake occurs!" Cynder demanded.

"T-that's w-why I don't w-want you to come here, Ahhh!" he cried as another spike of pain rippled through his body, the sound of his hollering sent another tremor of worry in Cynder's heart. "If another earthquake comes while you're in here too, then you might get trapped here as well.

"But Spyro I-," Cynder was suddenly cut off by the purple dragon raising his voice to get her attention.

"Cynder, stay there!" Spyro demanded, "I know how to get out, but it might be risky," Spyro looked away with an expression of pain but also the thought of what he had to do to free himself, it might be the only way for him to free himself without any further damage to his injury, but again it might make things completely worse.

"What do you mean it might be risky?" Cynder asked, cocking her head to the side but still with an extremely scared look of her features by what Spyro was going through.

Spyro gave another cry of pain. Every passing second that went by felt like hours for the purple dragon, and to him the big hunk of rock felt like it was getting heavier every passing minute. After all the years of fighting, Spyro had never felt pain this bad in a very long time, the most he usually had gotten was small gashes and cut but they were easily treated by the spirit gems.

"I'm going to fire an earth missile at the rock and shatter it, if I hit it right and all goes according to plan, it should disintegrate without causing further damage, but if not, the vibrations might cause the chunks of rock above me to fall." Spyro then turned his head back to the massive rock that rested hard on his leg; he then took a deep breath and started to charged up his earth power, getting ready to blast an earth missile at it with all he had. Nevertheless, as green magic started to lick between his jaws, Cynder's voice stopped him before he fired it outward.

"Spyro, stop!" Cynder shouted worriedly, completely dumbstruck by what he planned to do. "There must be a better way. This is ridicules, you could get hurt even worse, o-or e-even, d-die…" The black dragoness hesitated by saying the last three words, the thought of Spyro possibly dying made her blood run cold.

"I'm afraid there is no other way," Spyro said at length, sadden by the words he had just spoken, "but I don't want you anywhere near here when I do, ok?" Spyro finished, wanting his dragoness that he loved to be safe if so something went wrong.

Cynder closed her eyes as fresh tears seeped out and ran down her muzzle by what the purple dragon said, knowing that he was right. There was a long silence until Cynder chuckled a little and spoke.

"You sound just like, Ignitus," the way Cynder said those words was enough to put smiles on both of their muzzles.

"But I'm not going any further!" The black dragoness finished, slamming her paw on the stone hard floor, demanding what she wanted. Spyro took a depressing sigh, he wanted her to be safe. If for any reason things made a turn for the worse, but he knew that he could not stop her stubbornness. He then sighed again and looked up at the black dragoness, just hoping that he would be able to get himself out without any computations so he will be by her side once again.

"Ok, but please run out of the way if something goes wrong, you promise me, Cynder? ." Spyro asked

"Nope!" Cynder said stubbornly, turning her head away from the purple dragon, but then looked back at him to finish. "Like I said before, I'm with you." Spyro shook his head several times by what the black dragoness chose to do, a little disappointed in her response but couldn't blame her, he would of done the same thing if her in such position.

"You're so stubborn, Cynder. You know that?" The purple dragon finished with a mocking tone in his voice.

"Yep, that's me, and you can't change it no mater how hard you try." She said smiling and laughing by her little , on the other hand tried to laugh at her joke even though she was serious but only managed to answer in a light chuckle by the throbbing pain by his crushed leg.

The purple dragon then turned back around facing the huge chunk of earth that rested uncomfortably on his leg; once again, he focused hard as green earth energy cracked between his jaws creating a ball of pure energy. After a few more seconds of controlling his breathing and charging up his element as much as he can, he opened his jaws as wide as he could and fired a massive earth missile that glowed through the air even though it only had to travel a short distance. When the projectile made contacted with the rock, the earth missile exploded, shattering the rock and sending debris everywhere. Luckily, Spyro's plan did work by shattering the rock without any further damage to himself but the vibrations did shake the boulders above him and were about to break free.

"OH, NO!" Cynder gasped with horror, she was only a few meters from Spyro and saw that the rocks were starting to break loose. On instinct, she lunged into the cave entrance and grabbed Spyro's left forepaw in her jaws lightly and drugged him out as fast as she could. The purple dragon gritted his teeth in pain as Cynder drugged him out, his injured leg scraping against the cold, hard, and just downrightuncomfortable floor, triggering even more shooting pain, it didn't help to have the remains of the massive chuck of earth scattered around him when she pulled him out. In addition, as soon as Spyro was completely out, the rocks above where he was, started to cave in rapidly, covering the cave completely. After the cave in, the whole tunnel was covered in a thick dense cloud of dust and fine rock particles; even with the glow from the spirit gems. It did not do any good with the dust floating all around, blocking light from their eyes.

They coughed and choked on the very fine dust particles as each time they breathed in, it irritated and burned their lungs as their lungs started to fill with fine rock, but nothing too serious yet. Finally, for what felt like hours of coughing, gagging, and unable to see, the dust started to settle and they could finally make eye contact of each other again.

"T-thanks, C-Cynder," he said in pain and between coughs.

"Sure Spyro. You know I will do anything for you." Cynder replied with a smile that formed on her features. "I told you I wasn't going to leave you no matter what you said and I'm glad I didn't listen to you." After she finished, they both started to laugh by how stubborn she was acting and Spyro knew that she was not lying about what she said.

Time went by slowly for the two dragons as they lied on the ground waiting for the dust to settle. They did not need to wait long before the dust finally settled down completely and was then where their eyes caught the size of the new tunnel they have entered. Their minds wondered about the cave and they were both in awe by the sheer mass of it; lighted by the crystals showed the full size in diameter.

"Wow… This is almost as big as The Runs of Warfang." Cynder said in awe. "Do you think this leads to the surface?"

"There's only one way to find out, come on." Spyro finished. He then tried to stand on his legs so they can continue on, but when he but presser on his hind leg, he felt a stabbing force of pain that moved up his leg and down his spine, making it feel like his whole body was shattered. Not able to keep balance, he fell hard on the ground again with the worse spikes of pain he had ever felt in his life, gritting his teeth and groaning in pain, wishing it could all stop on the spot.

"Spyro!"

Cynder shouted when the sound of the purple dragon's cries in pain pounded hard against her ears. The black dragoness didn't hardly waste a second and ran straight to him as fast as she could, trying desperately to help him out in any way possible but knowing that she could not do much to help her purple friend. When she made ("managed"?) reached Spyro, all she could do was stand over him as he hollered out in agony; tears started to form around the rims of her eyes in sight of the one she loved go through this kind of torture, something he shouldn't go through in any way. The black dragoness stood in place for a few more seconds crying out in sorrow by the sight of Spyro then, she froze when a warm but yet chilling sensation run through her body. It felt like ice running through her veins; warmth running through her soul, and something that she had never felt before, something that she could not describe. Her mind went silent and the sounds from Spyro seemed to fade away as a haze of colors seemed to cloud her vision. She saw a hazy cloud of blue and red mist on opposite sides racing and eventually colliding into each other, creating a light purple cloud that fogged her vision, the same purple as Spyro. Cynder felt a little frightened by the odd silence, the weird feeling that coursed he body, and the colorful haze that clouded her sight, but deep down inside her, she felt a bit of confidence that this was something suppose to happen.

After a few more seconds of the some-what peaceful sensation, reality rushed right back at her as if she slammed into a wall head on. Cynder was a little jumpy when everything came back to her, but she retrieved her thoughts back quickly and now she could see and hear the purple dragon on the ground in great pain. Nevertheless, to Cynder, she was neither scared nor sad that Spyro was hurt; she actually was a little happy because deep down, she felt like Spyro was going to be fine in a few moments that he was going to suffer no more.

"Spyro," She said in a very calm tone and once she let his name lose, she placed a talon on his to get his attention. "Spyro, you'll be ok, trust me" Cynder finished with a firm nod and Spyro gave her one back, agreeing with the black dragoness. He didn't know what she was talking about or what she was going to do but he trusted her with all he heart and soul. Cynder then arched down until her head was only inches away from the purple dragon's crushed leg, then she had felt as if it was instinct to do so and she proceeded on. Cynder focused hard and let out a long sigh, calming her nerves and becoming relaxed; at this point the warm and cool feeling that were in her body started to flow up her body but still not making contact. The black dragoness then closed her eyes and placed her snout on Spyro's hurt leg, Spyro stared at Cynder with a confused look on his muzzle on what she was doing. He didn't understand what she had planed but he didn't bother to question and let her proceed on. However, all of a sudden, Cynder felt the two different sensations combined into one inside the core of her warning, the sensation raced up to her snout and down into Spyro's leg.

Spyro turned around to see what Cynder was doing, but when his eyes made contact, he became completely stunned by the sight of a purple aura radiating from Cynder and swirling around into his leg. Immediately Spyro felt the shards of bone in his leg form back together.

He was feeling his leg _connect_ back together.

Spyro gritted his teeth by a swell of pain but after a near second later, he felt no pain at all, not even a little surge of a pinch.

After about ten seconds of healing Spyro, Cynder could feel that his leg had fully reconstructed and she slowly opened her eyes. When she opened them completely, the bright purple aura faded away as if it had never happened. The black dragoness slowly raised her snout and backed away from her purple friend now satisfied by what she did, but she felt dizzy and a little weak doing so, as if what she had done was draining her strength. Cynder sat down beside Spyro with a thud and her head spinning a little however, she was able to stop the nauseating sensation, but not her weakness. Spyro looked at Cynder with a shocked look stretched across his features.

How did she do that? What did she even do and how long did she have it? Spyro couldn't even mutter a word just completely frozen by what had happened, what she did.

His leg. I-it is now… _healed…_ But how?

Spyro kept looking back between the black dragoness and his leg, completely dumbstruck by the exquisite power she just used, he then started to flex his leg slowly, testing it to see if it fully healed; indeed, it did.

Both dragons looked at each other with the same expression on their muzzles, on how that was possible. After a few more seconds went by, Spyro finally broke the silence, he spoke in a timid tone and his voice broke up from a little bit of excitement but mostly shock by what he endured.

"H-h-how d-did, h-how d-did y-you, do that?" Spyro asked mumbling quietly.

"I-I d-don't know. I felt like I had to do it, as if it was my nature. And when I did, I felt two different kinds of energy that flowed through my body and into yours, I can't explain it, but it felt kinda… Peaceful." Cynder replied, trying to think of what the sensation felt like but in a very silent voice, a silent of weakness and confusion. She tried to stand up but couldn't do much as lift her head, what ever she had done, whatever healed Spyro really took a toll on her power, on her body. She could hardly do anything but just sit there and think back on what just happened, what she had done. All the worries and sadness seemed to evaporate away from Cynder's mind now that Spyro was _healed_; even her tears that clouded her sight seemed to stop instantly afterwards.

Spyro stood up to his feet and walked around in a circle, testing out his fixed leg. He had a puzzled look spread across his features of how it was possible for Cynder to… _heal_ him. After Spyro's little walk in circles had ended, his eyes looked back at Cynder with an even more confused look on his muzzle.

"Cynder, you**…** you, _healed_ me. But how is that even possible? I never heard of a dragon with the power to heal before." Spyro asked as he walked up to Cynder and looked down at her.

"I-I don't know, I never had this strange feeling before, but when you were in great pain, well, I felt _that_ feeling. I didn't even know what to do, it's like it was guiding me, to do what I did." Cynder finished, but as she finished speaking, her body went limp by how drained she felt and she fell flat on the ground by what little height she could gain.

"Cynder!" Spyro shouted and ran to the black dragoness. But as he reached her, she tried as hard as she could to raise a paw and waved it in front of him before speaking.

"It's ok, Spyro. Just a little tired, that is all. I guess whatever I did; it must have taken a lot out of me."

Spyro then turned around and walked up to the two glowing crystals, their light source. He picked up the green one in his jaws and ran back to Cynder, when he reached her; he dropped the gem right next to the black dragoness's right flank so he could speak.

"I'm glad I grabbed this before we left that cave." Spyro said to himself before he proceeded on, but Cynder still heard him a little. "Cynder, this will give you your strength back, may I?" Spyro asked and he waited for Cynder's response. The black dragoness smiled and gave him a nod of permission of what he wanted to do. Spyro smiled back when she did and he grabbed the green spirit gem with his talons and placed it on Cynder's flank. Spyro then applied a little pressure onto the crystal, as soon as he did, the green gem started to glow even brighter until it was a blinding glow of green light before it was absorbed into Cynder's body and faded away. Immediately Cynder could feel a little bit of her strength come back, not fully but enough for her to get up and move around.

After about a ten-second wait for the gem to do its work, Cynder then started to rise from the ground. As she did, she could feel a little weak but nothing too serious then what it was, now was able to get up without hesitation. When the black dragoness was fully up to her feet, she looked at Spyro with a big grin spread across her features.

"Thanks, Spyro. I don't know what I'll do with out you." Cynder said but with an even bigger smile. The look Cynder was giving Spyro was almost like a loving smile, and Spyro couldn't help but give her one back. Spyro's face burned by the look the black dragoness gave him. Does she really like me that much? I need to tell her how I feel but were could there be another great moment like the previous one? Spyro stood there in thought as his body tingled by the way Cynder looked at him.

"W-well I-I'm g-g-glad I c-could h-help." Spyro said and again, stuttering in his words.

"Well, we should get going; I'd like to see the sun today." Cynder said and chuckled a little, Spyro smiled and chuckled back and the two started their way up the larger cave beside each other. As they were walking, the trail started to get dark until they couldn't see anymore; Cynder then realized as she looked back that they left the red spirit gem behind.

"Oh," Cynder said as she ran back, leaving the purple dragon in the dark to where they left the crystal at, as she reached it , she grabbed it with her long tail and looked back at Spyro as he turned around to see why Cynder ran back.

"We forgot our only light source, guess it would be a little hard to see without it, huh?" The black dragoness finished and they both started laughing by embarrassment of what they did. Forget the only glowing crystal in the cave for them to see their way out. Now that Cynder had her tail around the glowing crystal, she ran back up to Spyro so they could continue their way out of the volcano and possibly so real sun light and not the radiating light from a gem. As they walked through the cave in hope that it will lead them to the surface, Spyro thought back to when he was stuttering in his words again when Cynder looked at him in that curtain way.

"_Why? Why is it every time Cynder looks at me like that I don't know what to say and feel strange inside? I never had this feeling before the battle with Malefor. Is it just because I haven't told her how I feel about her yet?" _Spyro thought to himself, he was mad at himself for not telling her yet but not sure if she would feel the same way. He didn't know if he should be waiting for her to speak out and ask him or if she's waiting for him to ask her. He thought about it for a long time and finally decided to ask her but wait until he finds a better and more peaceful place. As they walked, Spyro then thought back again, when Cynder healed him, he was puzzled by it before he spoke.

"Cynder." Spyro said with a timid voice.

"Yes, Spyro?" Cynder replied and looked at the purple dragon that was on her left and with a loving grin on her features. Spyro saw her with a loving smile but turned his head forward so he doesn't get nervous by Cynder's loving glare. He then took a sigh before he spoke again.

"I don't understand, Cynder."

"Understand what?" Cynder questioned

"Back there, you were able to heal me, I just don't understand how?" Spyro was still unsure how she managed to do it, how she could heal him.

"I don't know, like I said earlier, I was scared because you were injured but something told me to do what I did and somehow it worked." Cynder finished as she hung her head down by the thought of how scared she was when that rock fell and crashed her purple friend's leg and what he had to do to free himself.

"So you knew that whatever feeling you had, it would heal me?" Spyro asked as he cocked his head, and still walking at a steady speed down the cave, in search for the exit.

"No, I didn't, it's just when I saw you in pain, I couldn't just stand there and watch you suffer, I had to do something but I didn't know what. However, like I said before, I then felt two different kinds of energy; one was like a warm sensation and the other a cold sensation going through my body and up my spine. But then something strange happened, something I still don't understand." Cynder then stopped from walking as she thought back of what she felt when it all happened. Spyro saw that she had stopped and did the same as Cynder continued her little story.

"What was this strange feeling you had?" Spyro asked curiously.

"Everything went silent, even when you hollered out in pain at your highest, I couldn't hear it. I wanted to be frightened by the way things were going on, and I wanted to be sadden but something, I don't know what but something told me that you were going to be just fine, I didn't want to believe it sense you were hurt but my gut instinct told me it was right and you'll be alright." Cynder finished and hung her head down even further and closed her eyes as some fresh tears rolled of her eyes and down to the ground, thinking back only a few minutes hurt her so much, just the sight of him in even the slightest of pain made her upset. Spyro saw the black dragoness crying, depressed by what happened in that short time, he then walked up to her and draped a wing around her in a friendlygesture. Cynder opened her eyes and looked to her left to see the purple dragon next to her with his wing around her flank, she smiled when she saw a grin on his features in satisfaction of what she do to help him. Even though she didn't know what was going to happen, he was still happy about what she did and is she cared about him so that much.

"I guess I've always had the power to heal but never knew it until now; I guess when I saw you in so much hurt that it must have triggered it somehow." Cynder said but still with a timid voice.

"I wonder if the guardians know about this kind of power. I guess we could ask them _when_ we get back… But I'm very happy you did it, and I'm very happy to have a great friend like you, Cynder."

Spyro finished and this time giving the black dragoness a loving smile. Cynder blushed a little by his goofy smile and chuckled a bit, and after few seconds of daydreaming of each other, they then started to continue their way through the tunnel hoping they are on the right path for a way out. Spyro still walked close to Cynder with his right wing wrapped around her body, walking further down the cave. As the walked further down the tunnel, Spyro looked up and down, back and forth through the cave, amazed by the dimension it was, it was almost the same diameter as The Runs of Warfang except this one was all created by molten rock, as for Warfang's, it was created by hundreds of moles and dragons.

They both continued to walk when Spyro felt something brush against him, his eyes widened by the unexpected feeling and he looked back behind him very quickly to where he has been touched. His eyes widened even more by what he saw; he saw Cynder's tail holding the red gem but also wrapped around his tail. Spyro, maintaining his shocked expression as he turned his head back to Cynder and the black dragoness, again with a loving smile across her features as she looked at Spyro and couldn't help but laugh a little. The purple dragon was completely dumbstruck by Cynder's friendly gesture, his body filled with excitement and his legs felt weak again but he knew if he would have let loose, he would have been embarrassed as all get out. He knew he was stronger then that so he shook off the weakness feeling and focused on their trail. He then returned a friendly but goofy smile back to Cynder and kept on walking.

"_Does she like me like I think she does? There was no mistaking it but I think she does, I really feel confident on telling her now, but I need to find a better place to show her my true feelings for her, my true love for her."_ Spyro said in his mind but getting very excited when he did, as he thought about it, his smile grew even bigger and he couldn't help but chuckle a little over how thrilled he was but trying to keep it very quiet. Unfortunately, he wasn't quiet enough, Cynder heard his little laugh and looked over to him before she spoke with a puzzled expression.

"Something funny?" Cynder asked with a raised brow. Spyro heard the black dragoness speak and he shook the thought out of his head before he spoke, he was a little embarrassed that she heard him, but so happy about his thought. He couldn't hold it in as much as he wanted to.

"What? Oh, sorry, I-I was just t-thinking about the stuff Sparx said with the adventures we went on, always complaining." Spyro said as he rolled his eyes of what Sparx was always good at; complaining, and hoping the black dragoness would buy his little lie. He didn't want to lie to Cynder but he had to think of something to say without expressing his feeling just yet. Even though his is ready to do so, he wants to find a perfect place to tell her like the crystal cave if not even better. After what he mentioned about his brother, he took a depressing sigh, wishing that they could get out of this death hole and be there for him. Cynder continued to look at the purple dragon when he made his sigh and sighed back but hers was a lot quieter.

"You really miss him, don't you?" Cynder asked but she already knew the answer to her question; Spyro gave her a firm nod and focused his head back to the ground. Now that Spyro brought up Sparx, he completely forgot about Cynder wrapping her tail around his and contemplation on his dragonfly brother.

"I just hope he's alright." Spyro said in a sadden tone. Once the purple dragon finished speaking, Cynder pressed her body even closer to Spyro's, even though Spyro still had his wing draped around her, she just closed in the gap between them until their scales were rubbing against each other. Spyro looked back at her but the expression on her muzzle said it all, that everything would be fine.

"It's ok, Spyro. I'm sure he's fine and we'll get out of this place sooner or later." Cynder then thought about the yellow dragonfly and what likes to do best. "Ha, I'm sure all that stubbornness will keep him going until we get back, he is also with the guardians and you know that they'll keep him company and take care of him throughout our absence." Cynder finished and once again, with a big smile across her muzzle, hoping it will cheer up the purple dragon.

"Oh, believe me, the guardians don't need to take care of him, he'll just drive them crazy for the time being." As soon as he finished speaking, they both laughed by his joke but what the funny part was that it was some-what true.

"Well, let's just focus on getting out of here first. If we're in the correct passage way, then this tunnel should lead us to the surface, then we won't be far from the city. My guess is if we get out sometime soon, then it might be an hour fight to Warfang, if that." Cynder spoke trying to raise their spirits up. Spyro gave a sigh in relief by the thought that they might be back home in no time if the tunnel were to lead them to where they want to go. He turned his sight to Cynder and gave her a nod in agreement, both of them smiled and started to pick up their pace, covering more ground and hoping they were in the right tunnel for their escape and if so, they could get back home that same day.

They walked for another twenty minutes without saying a word; their minds were focused on getting out of their chaotic ordeal. However, they felt something in their gut but this time, it wasn't the feeling of an earthquake, shock of fear that something bad is going to happen, healing power, nor a loving sensation. This one was completely different, like something extremely good was about to open up in front of them. They couldn't make out the feeling but all they knew was it had be pleasant; they kept walking at a steady pace, with the crystal as their only light source but, after another ten minutes of walking, Spyro and Cynder felt something that went down their whole bodies and both dragons stopped dead in their tracks by what they felt.

"Spyro, did you feel that?" Cynder said, hoping that she wasn't the only one who felt the odd sensation.

"Yeah, I felt it too; it feels like a small draft of air. But how?" Spyro questioned, as both dragons looked at each other with a suspicious look on their features, that indeed they both felt a light, gentle breeze inside the cave of the volcano. The two looked all throughout the tunnel for any signs of a smaller hole where a light breeze could come from. After a few minutes of looking and to no accomplishment, Spyro then looked down even further into the cave out of curiosity but what he saw surprised him, Spyro noticed something a few hundred meters away, his heart sank and started pounding against his chest hard, and his eyes widened in surprise by what he saw.

Could this be? Is that what I think it is? The thoughts rushed through his mind, hoping his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

"Cynder!" Spyro shouted, making the black dragoness jump in surprise when he yelled.

"Spyro, what is it, what's wrong?" Cynder asked but a little scared by the way the purple dragon shouted, when she finished speaking, she unwrapped her tail from Spyro's as the purple dragon retracted his wing. Cynder did a ninety-degree turn to face her purple friend and to see why he startled her, why he shouted. Although she couldn't tell if he shouted in excitement or fear, so she was a little worried to what the purple dragon was going to say.

"Cynder! I think I know where that breeze came from. Is that what I think it is?" He asked the black dragoness to make sure that he was seeing correctly, but she raised a brow and had a blank expression on her features wondering what he was talking about and why he was acting so strangely.

"What do you mean?" Cynder asked tilting her head in confusion.

"Cynder look!" Spyro demanded with a big smile on his muzzle and extending a wing to where he wanted her to look. Cynder slowly looked to where he was pointing but still with a confused look spread across her features, but nonetheless, she turned around just like the purple dragon wanted her to and stared further down the tunnel; squinting her eyes a little to see better from the glare of the spirit gem. However, as soon as she did, her eyes then enlarged with surprise and her heart almost leaped out of her chest by the sight she was seeing.

"Spyro, I-is t-that?" Cynder stuttered on her words, just completely stunned by what lied ahead of her. Spyro smiled and gave her a firm nod, as his smile grew bigger from excitement. What they saw in front of them was what seemed to be an extremely dim flicker of light at the end of the tunnel, it was very hard to see but sure enough, it was a light. They both couldn't believe what they saw and were completely tickled that they finally found their was out of this miserable tribulation. They knew it had to be sunlight shining through and not another crystal patch because the crystals had a much duller and more colorful glow, this glow was pure white and bright as can be. At last, after two and a half days of trapped in a blasted volcano, they could finally see their first glimpse of what the new age looked like, what they worked so hard for and nearly gave their life for.

"So this is our way out then?" Cynder asked, still dumbstruck that this was all happening.

"Yes, Cynder, We can finally see what our hard work and suffering has done what it's like to be free from control, power, and war. What everyone had fought and gave their life for, for this age of peace, and now it's our turn to take in its glory. As it shall give us strength and warmth as we go on with our lives." Spyro spoke in a speech. Once he had finished, he turned his sights back on Cynder with a satisfied and loving smirk across his features, what Spyro had said put tears of joy and happiness in the brims of her eyes. As long as she knew the purple dragon had he ever gave such a wonderful speech of what they fought for all their life, something that she never thought he could do. They both stood in place for a long moment, taking in the great moment, and after a little longer, Spyro smiled and spoke again. "Now let's hurry before another earthquake appears." Spyro joked with a small laugh.

"AH! You just had to ruin the greatest moment I've ever heard you say!" Cynder hollered out. "But don't say that, it just might happen." Cynder protested but also with a laugh.

"Come on; let's finally get out of this death trap." Spyro said with happiness in his voice.

"I'm way ahead of you, Spyro." Cynder finished and they both took off running as fast as their legs would carry them over to the light. They laughed as they ran, just thrilled that finally they could see the sun again, the land and the sky, the grass and the trees. Everything they worked so hard saving for most of their lives, and finally get closer to see the ones they cared for. All the thoughts of what they could finally do after years and years of fighting in the war, what they fought for the most could be seen just by a little dim light at the end of the tunnel.

For another five minutes of running, their legs were starting to burn from exhaustion as they ran. They didn't care though, even though their joints felt like they were going to collapse right from under them, they were too happy, excited and focused on getting out and finally being in the open air to care. Each time they get closer to the light, the more they push themselves to go further. By now, the light is about the size of an apple, it might still be small, but every passing second, it kept getting bigger and bigger a lot more rapidly now to the point where they knew there was no mistaking the light for something else.

At this point they could feel the soothing breeze that entered the cave and flowed across their bodies, the feeling of just wind made them laugh even more as they ran, getting even closer to the end. They never thought in their lives that they would be so amazed to see such a small little light several hundred meters away. After another minute of running, their legs were starting to quit on them, it was only their minds that moved them on but still, they were still undernourished by lack of food, water, and even a good rest, their bodies couldn't take the length of running; they needed to stop or find another way to go. Cynder then thought of something, something that they probably could have done when they first saw the dim light; she looked at Spyro with a curious expression across her features, then she spoke.

"S-Spyro." She asked out of breath.

"Y-yes, Cynder?" Spyro also said in between breaths from lack of oxygen.

"I j-just thought of s-something, w-why don't we just fly instead of r-running for so long? W-we'll make better timing." Cynder maintain her stare at Spyro while he thought about it for a few seconds, he made a strange look when he thought about it that indeed Cynder is right.

"Ha, I g-guess we could have done that in the beginning, we probably c-could have been out by now if we did, t-the cave is wide enough for us to and we have a tiny breeze to help up out maintain flight. I-I guess we're not thinking straight today." They both laughed when he finished speaking, now embarrassed by not thinking the idea of a simple solution.

"Ha-ha, yeah, I guess when you spend over eighty hours in an unintelligent volcano; you tend to lose your common sense. Come on, let's go." As soon as she finished, they both extended their wings and with a mighty flap, they were both in the air, soaring high inside the massive tunnel. They flapped their wings as hard as they could to gain as much speed as possible. Now, only after a few seconds since they left the cold, hard, cave floor, they were at a steady speed covering three times the ground they were when they were running. They were moving so fast that the little dull light at the end of the tunnel grew form the size of their heads to the size of their whole bodies combine within the first minute of flying.

"We're making great time now!" Spyro shouted through the wind that whizzed by them by flying so quickly. "We might be out within the next minute of two!"

"You got that right." Cynder shouted back, by this time, they were getting so close to the end of the tunnel that could make out colors blending in with the bright light. They could see a hint of green from what it appears to be grass at the opening or leaves from some trees in the distance and a hint of blue that looked like the sky.

Finally, after what felt like hours since they saw the light but only was a several minutes, they are now about one hundred yards away from escaping their ordeal. Their bodies were cramping and felt like they were about to fall from their flight at any second. However, the thing that is keeping them going for the next few moments was adrenaline and excitement that coursed through their bodies. After another few moments, they flapped a few more hard times and finally, they were only a few meters from the mouth of the cave, they then landed hard on the ground and slowly ran the rest of the way out. On their way out of the tunnel, they stopped immediately and had to shield their eyes with their wings from the blinding bright ball of heat that they both knew as the sun. After their eyes had adjusted a little to the outside light, they retracted their wings and finished their walk outside the cave. Once the finished walking out, they were on a patch of grass, on a cliff about half way up the volcano. Nevertheless, they didn't care about the scenery, they were so exhausted from running and flying for so long that they collapsed on the soft, lush green grass on their backs and staring straight up at the sky beside each other without even looking around to see what things were around them. They were also excited to be out in the open for the first time sense the great battle against one such evil dragon, that all they wanted to do was just stare at the sky for the rest of the day.

"F-finally, we're o-out!" Cynder said with excitement.

"I-I never thought I would be this happy j-just to see the blue sky again." Spyro said back to the black dragoness. They were panting hard by their long run and flight as they spoke, but all they did for the first experience of being outside sense the fight was stare at the sky and watch the clouds roll by with great happiness that showed across their features.

"Same with me, Spyro, I never want to be trapped in a cave for that long again." Spyro then turned to his left to where the black dragoness was lying when she finished speaking.

"Don't you remember, Cynder? We were trapped in a crystal inside a collapsing cave for three years." Spyro ended and Cynder met his glaze to say her answer, she took a depressing sigh when she thought back to that frightening day, wishing he wouldn't have brought up the dreading event.

"Yes… I remember, I was so scared… Yeah, but three years felt like three seconds to us, so to us, this _felt_ longer. Also, I didn't think we would survive that cave in; I didn't even know you could contain such power." Cynder said as she thought back to how Spyro used so much power at such a young age, even an adult dragon would have a hard time to use that much power all at once without harming itself.

"I was scared too, and to be honest, I still don't know how I did it when I formed that crystal around us, I just, well, did it somehow." Spyro finished with a smile and Cynder started to chuckle a little, now knowing the truth to the power. "But I'm glad that's all behind us now and I hope we never needto do it again." Spyro completed speaking and stared back at the sky again. The two dragons laid there for several long and stress less minutes, relaxing for the first real time in their lives and not needed to worry about a great evil trying to destroy them and the world .

After another twenty minutes had pass of talking, laughing, and carrying on, Cynder rolled around and rose back to her feet to finally look around and see what was in view. When she made her sight of the land, she was completely shocked by what she saw.

"Wow! Spyro, look at this." Cynder said in awe. Spyro immediately turned onto his belly and too, rose up to see what the black dragoness was looking at and why she sounded excited. He then walked up to Cynder to see what she saw, what lied ahead of her.

"What is it Cyn-." He trailed off when he made sight with the scenery around them. Spyro's jaw hung open a little, as he looked back and forth and completely became stunned by what the view looked like.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Spyro expressed, the sight that lay in front of them was breathtaking, but what made it more amazing is they were a couple hundred feet above the lower ground on the edge of the volcano and so they had a birds eye-view of all the land that was below. What they saw were thick forests of tall trees with thick bundles of leaves on them, and some with colorful flowers all over giving away the time of year, which was indeed springtime. Ever since Malefor pretty much had his claws on the world, the seasons were under his control. Now that he is gone, nature can finally take over again and start new life at the goriest time of the year, where life could replenish itself. Beneath the trees were amazing shade colors, there was lush green grass on the very bottom as the base and beautiful flowers that painted over the grass. They could also see a winding river that stretched as far as they could see; and chunks of earth still suspended in air but slowly floating down and center back into the earth where it may be complete again.

"I have never seen anything so beautiful in my life." Cynder said excitedly. Spyro looked over to Cynder when she spoke the comment; he opened his muzzle to say something but hesitated and looked away. After a few seconds later, the purple dragon looked back at the black dragoness and did the same thing, however, this time he felt comfortable about what he was going to say.

"N-not as beautiful as you." Spyro said kindly, he hesitated at first but was able to say what he wanted to and he was relieved he did. Cynder was caught off guard when she heard him say the words, she then turned her head until she was facing him, she blushed a little when she saw him standing next to her with a big grin on his features, meaning to what he said.

"Aw, you mean that?" Cynder asked with excitement, she had a good idea of what his answer will be but asked to here it from him just to make sure. However, Spyro didn't say a word, he just gave her a simple nod of his head, still maintaining his smile. Cynder's grin grew even bigger when he nodded, even though she wanted him to say it, she was satisfied with his response. After all, he did give her a very nice comment, that just filled Cynder's heart with even more happiest.

"Thank you, Spyro, that's the nicest thing anyone had said to me," Cynder's voice started to break up and tears started to form around her eyes. "Everyone usually refers me as 'The Terror of the Skies' or 'The Dark Masters Puppet', or, or," Cynder started to trip up on her own words as she started to cry even more and hung her head in shame by the bad things people wound call her. All her life of serving the Dark Master, everyone knows her as a killer and not the dragoness she truly is.

No one would trust her.

But to have Spyro know that she wasn't truly evil from the beginning, it made her extremely happy that someone trusts her for who she truly is but it also made her sad because he was most likely the only one other then the guardians that trusted her, everyone else still thinks her as a killer. Cynder continued to sob with tears starting to pick up more rapidly now, Spyro was sadden that she had to go through what she did, he didn't want to see her hurt. The purple then laid a paw on the black dragoness shoulder to try to calm her down, Cynder flinched a little when the purple dragon touched her but didn't do the slightest of making her feel better.

"Cynder, I don't blame you for anything you did, it wasn't your fault and you know that, many dragons trust you, Cynder. I trust you, the guardians trust you and we care about you." Spyro talked in some-what of a loud voice, trying to cheer up the black dragoness and to get his words into her, the one he cared so much for but only could think of what she had to be going through at that time.

"I-I know S-Spyro, but they're still a lot more that don't. I-I don't ever think they'll trust me, not for the things I did." Cynder cried in between sobs, thinking back to those days when she was under The Dark Master's control. What she thought was right, turned out to be completely wrong; she hated just to think about it.

"It's ok, Cynder," Spyro said and then walked up to the black dragoness and nuzzled her head lightly, "We'll get this taking care of when we get back to Warfang, I know there's someone else that cares about you, I promise." Spyro finished and back up a little to where he was looking right at Cynder with a big, loving smile across his features.

"Are you sure?" Cynder asked as her cries of tears slowly started to stop. Spyro's answer was a nod but in a goofy way, although, it succeeded in cheering up the black dragoness a little. Spyro was a little embarrassed in the way he answered but it managed to perk up the dragoness he cared for and that was good enough for him.

"I promise you we can get most of the city to care about you, that's a promise I will never break." Spyro added in with a firm tone. He was true to his word and he knew he could do it.

"Come on, I think it's time to go check out the place and maybe find some food. I don't know about you but I can go for something to eat and drink right now." When Spyro finished, the both smiled at each other, Cynder had to agree with him, over two days without anything to eat or drink was really starting to take a toll on them.

"Ok, but first, lets check out the view on top of the volcano. I want to know if we can see Warfang from here." Cynder asked before she made her way to the edge of the cliff, Spyro hesitated a little but finally nodded in agreement and made his way to the edge also.

"Ready?" Cynder asked as she spread her wings, ready to take flight.

"Ok, just a quick look." Spyro finished and too spread his wings, now ready for flight. After one final nod from Spyro, Cynder jumped off the cliff, tucked her wings against her body and dove straight down the edge of the volcano gaining more and more speed every second that went by. Spyro still waited on top the cliff, he was shocked by what Cynder was doing, and he was horrified that she hadn't pulled up yet or if she was going to at all. Nevertheless, about a hundred feet from the ground, Cynder finally spread her wings, pulled up and started to climb in height. Spyro took a sigh of relief when she spread her wings and started to climb. Now it was Spyro's turn, he then dove off the cliff and did the same thing as Cynder. He loved the feeling of wind whipping around his face and body, something he missed when they were trapped for a couple days. When he neared the last hundred feet, he too spread his wings and started to catch up to the black dragoness who was waiting for him a few hundred feet above him.

"Are you coming slow poke?" Cynder shouted mockingly with a chuckle.

"Hey, I'm not the slow one around here!" Spyro shouted back as he closed in where Cynder is.

"Oh really? Well then how come I'm all the way up here and you're still down there?" Cynder mocked back but now she was at a steady hover, waiting for her purple friend.

"You got a head start." Spyro then started to pick up the speed of his climb, but he was almost at her though.

"Head start doesn't mean anything. What matters is timing, and obviously I made better time then you." Cynder smack-talked one more good time before he reached her; finally, he did reach her and they continued their flight to the top of the volcano.

"Oh whatever, I'll prove it to you that I'm the better flyer then you." Spyro spat back at Cynder.

"I'd like to see you try, but later though."

"Alright then" Spyro finished. As he did, they finally made it to the top of the volcano, the same spot where Malefor's temple was suspended in the air by his dark power. They reached the top faster then they thought considering their lack of nourishment and energy nonetheless, they made it and now they were on the top of the land and they looked all around to see what was out there.

"Wow! This is amazing!" Cynder shouted out in awe, "This is a way better view then when we first exited the cave. I thought it was beautiful up here when we first came here but this defies it even more."

"I agree with you all the way, it's truly a fascinating sight to see." They were at the highest point in all the lands, and they could see for hundreds of miles. What they saw was the sun had just started to set down so there was still a lot of time left in the day but it was slowly coming to an end. They saw even more chunks of earth floating back down to the main source, and on top of the rocks were patches of grass and some with tall, beautiful trees and shrubs on them. Far away from them they could see on top of some mountains in the distance had a little bit on snow on them, which told them it was just the beginning of spring and not further on; as if the world started over again with new life, a new age. They also saw large flowing rivers and widespread valleys; the sight filled their hearts with joy, happiness, and success of what they had accomplished. However, the one thing they were looking for the most hasn't been found yet.

"Spyro, have you seen Warfang yet?" Cynder asked but now getting a little worried that she couldn't find it.

"No, no I haven't, it should have been right below us, but I don't see it anywhere." Spyro answered but now concerned to where their home could be. It couldn't just disappear, unless it was completely destroyed in the explosion of the world, but everything looks to be back together the same way before except nothing from the war has been shown. So where could it be? The thoughts were rushing through his mind of to where Warfang could be. The two dragons looked all over but didn't succeed of finding the great city, after another thirty minutes of searching, they called it quits.

"Spyro, are you ready to head back?" Cynder asked but a little worried that the city wasn't in their sights.

"I don't understand, Warfang should be in our sights by now, it was there when we came up here before we fought Malefor, and now it's not; how could this be?" Spyro could not find an answer; he couldn't see how a great city could just vanish. He thought about it for several more seconds but to no success, deep down he had an unpleasant feeling which they were all too familiar with, a feeling that their travels will be a little tougher. A feeling that they could be further away from the city then they had hoped for and their travel home had just begun.

"I'm sure it's out there somewhere, we'll find it, but right now we should find something to eat, over two days in a cave and haven't eaten a thing can drive someone crazy." Cynder laughed at her joke and Spyro caught on after with a smile and a light chuckle.

"You're sure right about that, Cynder. Ok, let's head back." When Spyro finished, he flew to Cynder's right side and they both slowly started to descend. He didn't want to go just yet, he couldn't understand how the city could not be within his sights. Nonetheless, when the black dragoness wanted to go, he continued on and left. Cynder then looked back at Spyro with a playful smirk across her features as she thought of something they were talking about an hour ago.

"Hey, Spyro." Cynder said, still maintaining her smirk.

"Yes, Cynder?" Spyro ask curiously.

"You know how we were talking on who is the better flyer?"

"Yeah, why?" Spyro asked again, but now wondering what the black dragoness was talking about, he had a thought of what she was going to do but wasn't certain and by the time he did, it was too late.

"Well, lets fine out, YOU'RE IT!" Cynder shouted as she tapped Spyro on the snout with a wing, and then snapped her wings back, close to her body and dove straight to the ground. Spyro was completely dumbstruck by how fast she managed to do so, she was up where he is, talking in a calm tone, then _boom_, she was gone.

"Hey! No fair, you got a head start!" Spyro protested before he too snapped his wings to his body and dove off after the black dragoness. Spyro gained speed rapidly; he had a determined look spread across his muzzle as he hurtled to the black dragoness, he tried to catch up to her but Cynder's slender body made her like a bullet screaming down to earth. However, he surprisingly did manage to close in the gab between the two of them from several hundred meters down to a hundred feet.

After about a whole minute of diving, Cynder finally extended her wings to stop her fall, Spyro saw that she had stopped descending and too opened up his wings. Now Cynder was about fifty meters off the ground with Spyro still hot on her tail, she tried to descend slowly even lower to the ground as she flew at a very fast speed, which made it even harder since they were trees all around that she had to dodge around. The two dragons laughed and giggled as they weaved in between the tall trees, barely able to fly without even hitting one but managed to avoid all of them.

Spyro didn't even know that he and Cynder could fly so fast, that last time he flew at his fastest was when Cynder was chasing him back before when she was controlled by the big evil dragon. He chuckled a little when he realized that now he was chasing her but in better circumstances, they both are now free, happy, and relievedthat they can do the things they want to do, live the life they want to live.

After another ten minutes of chasing Cynder through thick forest of trees and shrubs, Spyro could see that she started to tire out, but she wasn't going to give up easily. Spyro tried to pick up his speed but Cynder was still a little faster. He wasn't going to let her win, he knew he had to prove it to her that he is the fastest and he had to do it now. Just when he thought he was catching up to her, the black dragoness flew straight up into the air with great speed, Spyro did follow her but as he made it to the same height as her, she did a barrel roll back into the trees. Spyro took a deep sigh and rolled his eyes now that he knows that she is playing with him, but this time, Cynder got so low to the ground that her wings can almost touch when she banks side to side. Now the two dragons are flying through the trees again, but after a minute of in the sticks, without warning, it opens up to a fairly large valley, both dragons stopped in unison and hovered about thirdly feet away from each other, like they knew what they were going to do that.

"Well, Spyro, I'm impressed that you managed to follow me for all this time, but you're still not fast enough." Cynder said while hovering in place, mocking at Spyro. The purple dragon then glared his eyes at the black dragoness before he spoke.

"Well, I'm just warming up, in fact, I think I could, WHAT IS THAT BEHIND YOU!" Spyro shouted, hoping Cynder would buy his lie.

"WHAT?" Cynder asked in shock, she didn't know what the purple dragon was talking about but for him to shout out like that startled her, she then wiped her head around to see what Spyro was talking about.

Now that Cynder was unaware, Spyro then flew up to the black dragoness and tapped her on the back of her tail with his talon, then took of flying as far away from her as possible while laughing.

"Tag, you're it, now!" Spyro shouted as he tried to fly as fast as he could to get as far away from Cynder as possible.

"HEY! No far, you tricked me!" Cynder shouted back, now feeling a little dumb by falling for his little scam.

"Still counts!" Spyro shouted back but still flying as fast as he can to get as far away from her as he could before she realizes it and starts chasing him.

"Oh, you're going to get it now!" Cynder demanded, and then she flapped her wings as hard as she could to gain as much speed as possible so she could try and tag the purple dragon back.

"Yeah, right!" Spyro spat back, even though he didn't want her to feel worthless, he still wasn't going to let her beat him in flying, he wanted to prove that he is faster and this is the best time to do it and just to have a little fun even though they still possibly had a long journey ahead of them. Spyro flew in between the trees, dodging them by just a foot or two, but despite his constant weaving and dodging trees, Cynder still was close on his tail and not falling back an inch. By now, Spyro was starting to tire out very quickly; his breathing was at an alarming rate and his body started to shut down by exhaustion. Since they haven't had a thing to eat or drink yet, he was using more energy then normal and Spyro could see Cynder struggling with the same thing, they had to stop but where was the best place to end their little game?

Spyro still flew in between the trees but he slowed down a little, letting the black dragoness catch up, the black dragoness thought she was going to catch him but as soon as she was about three meters away, he gave a hard flap of his wings and flew straight up into the sky. Cynder was shocked how fast he was able to fly upwards, her muzzle opened a little before she too flapped and went straight up after him. Spyro flew a vertical climb for several long seconds until he was about twenty meters off the ground, when he was at that height, he leveled off and soared over to another large valley. However, this one looked a little like Avalar, it had beautiful green grass with dazzling posies all over the land with lots of woods scattered around that would be great for hunting. It even had a river cutting through the valley but the difference with this one and the one in Avalar is this river had a huge waterfall that flowed into a small lake, about a hundred meters across; but the only thing missing was a cheetah tribe living in it.

Spyro noticed the lake and instantly he thought of a plan, he then started to descend to a low ten meters and again slowed down a little for Cynder to catch up to him. Spyro looked back at the corner of his eye to see how close the black dragoness was to him, she was getting very close but he had to wait a little longer for his devious plan to work.

Cynder had a smile across her features by how close she was getting to Spyro, it was at a point where Cynder could easily run into the purple dragon because of how slow he was going and that is just what she's hoping to do. But just when she was about to make her move and tag Spyro, the purple dragon pulled straight up and did three-fourths of a circle and dove straight for Cynder. The black dragoness didn't even see him coming, all she could see was a purple blur that did an almost complete circle and now he is over top of her. When Spyro reached Cynder, he gave a short flap so that he didn't hit her too hard but as soon as he did so, he wrapped his wings around Cynder and dropped like a stone heading down to the lake. Cynder gave a startled yelp when she realized that Spyro had wrapped himself around her and started to descend down to the lake.

Just as fast as Cynder realized that Spyro had grabbed her, they entered to lake's surface with a big splash. As soon as they became completely submerged in the water, Spyro immediately let go of Cynder and helped her to the surface by grabbing her forepaw with a talon and moving his wings so he would shoot up out from under the water. After about a whole minute of underwater, they finally broke the surface for a gasp of air. As soon as they came out, they both were laughing by what they did and how much fun it was.

"What was that for?" Cynder asked as she splashed him with water with her wing. "I was it, why did you grab me and dove into the lake?"

"Just for fun." Spyro answered with a smile across his muzzle.

"Fun huh? Well this is fun too." Cynder said and then swam up to Spyro and tapped him on the snout with her talon, then splashed him again in the face. Spyro shook of the water on his face but still continued to smile at the black dragoness, Cynder noticed it, then had a annoyed look on her features as she rolled her eyes, obviously her splashing wasn't going to wash the grin on his muzzle away.

"Come on; let's get back to shore so we could find a meal." Spyro said, about to make his way but waiting for the black dragoness to answer.

"I agree with you all the way." Cynder spat back, after her answer, the two dragons started to make their way back to land, but it didn't take them long, about a minute or so. Once they were out, Spyro then shook himself as the water droplets went flying everywhere; Cynder had to hide under her wings when he did so.

"Hey!" Cynder shouted. Spyro then turned around to see what Cynder wanted when he saw that he just shook water at her.

"Oops, sorry, Cynder," Spyro pleaded, a little embarrassed by what he did.

"It's fine, it's just water." Cynder finished and they both looked at each other with smiles on their muzzles. After a few more seconds of staring into each other's eyes, they both then realized what they were doing, blinked a few times and continued on.

"Do you want do find a meal now or do you want to drink some water first." Spyro asked, he thought back of what he just said and thought that it was a silly question to ask of what they should do first, something he could here a mother saying to her hatchling.

"Sure, ok," Cynder said at length and gave Spyro a confused look, "lets try out the wooded place over there." Cynder finished as she pasted Spyro and started to enter the woods.

"Uh, ok." Spyro said. However, he felt embarrassed by what he said again.

"_Why is it sometimes I ask her a simple question, I always make a fool of myself! Before I could talk to her and never stumble on a word, but now it's hard for me to say anything without feeling strange inside. What's wrong with me?"_

Spyro thought, he couldn't find his answer,does he like Cynder that much and worried that she didn't like him back the same way? Alternatively, is it something completely different that he may never learn to control? All he could do was wait until he comes across the right place to tell Cynder how he feels about her and hope he would be making the right preference.

They both continued on walking to the nearest wooded area but Spyro kept his distance from Cynder as he still felt a little embarrassed. Once they arrived to a good spot, both dragons went in separate ways in better chances of catching a meal. After about thirdly minutes of hunting, they didn't find a single thing, when they split up for a faster search, Spyro went to the right as Cynder went to the left. By now Spyro was about several hundred meters away from her so he couldn't find out if she had caught something or not, but after another ten minutes of hunting, Spyro noticed movement right in front of him, and it sounded very close too. After the sudden noise, the purple dragon immediately crouched down as low as he could and slowly crawled to where the noise came from. When he became close enough, he hid behind a thin layer of brush that was right between him and whatever was on the other side. As soon as he made his way at the brush, he could see through it that there was a fairly large deer eating grass in a little clearing on the other side of the brush. Instantly, Spyro's heart began to race by what he saw right in front of him, but then Spyro began to think that if he didn't catch this, then they might not have another opportunity for a while longer so he knew he had to catch this one on the first try.

Spyro crouched even lower to the ground; his muzzle grew into a snarl as he slowly stepped closer through the brush. Nevertheless, just when Spyro made his last step, he stepped on a twig and made a loud _crack_ sound. Immediately the deer's head shot straight up by the sudden sound, Spyro held his breath, hoping that the deer wouldn't run away by the noise. To Spyro's luck, the deer turned away and focused back on the lush grass it was eating on, the purple dragon took a silent sigh in relief when his possible catch didn't pay attention to the noise he accidentally made. Spyro didn't like to take a innocent life away but under these Secom stances, it was for their only survival. Although, the purple dragon never had deer before, all his life of living in the swamp he usually would eat small mammals such as mice or rabbits but he never liked to because every time he would. All the other dragonflies would look at him with a strange and disgusted expression, not really sure what he was at the time being. He tried to eat insects like his brother and his stepparents but he never liked how they tasted. It was until he united with the guardians where they told him everything about being a dragon including what they eat.

Now that the deer was fully unaware, Spyro continued on getting further into the brush, now he is in perfect position for attack. Spyro then dug his claws into the soft soil; he clenched his teeth and gave a low growl that only he could hear and his eyes were glanced into slits, he dug his claws even deeper into the ground before he lunged through the brush, after the mammal. However, just when the purple dragon was about to pounce on the deer, a black blur came out of nowhere from his right and grabbing the animal, the black figure caught both the deer and Spyro off guard when it went by snatching his meal.

Spyro skidded to a halt and spun around to where the black creature had taken his meal to, he saw the deer crying out in terror until he heard a loud pop and all went silent; which Spyro knew that the deer was dead now. The purple dragon then walked a little closer to the attacker with caution but he was shocked by who the black figure is.

"Cynder!" Spyro hollered out. He was now confused where she had come from and how did she do it so quickly.

"Hi, Spyro, miss me?" Cynder asked sarcastically.

"W-where did you, how could you, how did you?" Spyro sputtered, completely dumbstruck by where she came from, how and why she did. Cynder then jumped off her catch and walked over to the purple dragon. She chuckled while she walked by the expression on Spyro's muzzle, she could tell that he was confused, which made her laugh a little more.

"You beat me in flying; I couldn't let you win with hunting." Cynder finished as she brushed her head against Spyro neck.

"I see," Spyro said in an unconvinced tone. "Hey, what a second, what do you mean _let_ me win!" Spyro thought back to what she said and questioned her words.

"Oh, Spyro, come on, you beat me at flying and I have to admit that you are indeed a better flyer but I'm better at hunting then you so if I can admit that you're a better flyer, then you could admit that I'm a better hunter then you." Cynder then looked at Spyro with a loving smile as if she was begging him to say so.

"Yes, Cynder, you're right. You are a better hunter then me and I admit that." Spyro admitted as a smile formed around his muzzle.

"And, Spyro, you are a better flyer then me." Cynder also admitted and a smile stretched around her muzzle.

"Ok, now that we got that settled, can you help me with this?" Cynder asked and again, with a begging-like smile.

"Sure, anything for you Cynder." Spyro said back. Cynder blushed a little and the both smiled and stared at each other for a few seconds, when the time was up, they both snapped out of their trance and continued on. Once they were at the dead deer, Spyro crouched down next to it while Cynder helped lift the body onto the purple dragon's back. Now that Spyro had the deer on his back, he slowly raised to his feet but with a struggle considering the weight of the animal that is now on his back and how weak he still was from their long ordeal.

"Spyro, are you ok, do you need any help?" Cynder asked a little worried that Spyro wanted to have the full weight of her catch on his back and carry it himself.

"No, no I'm fine, if I can put the world back together from almost complete destruction then I think I can carry a deer." Spyro said with a chuckle and made Cynder laugh a little also.

"Ok then, but I'll be right next to you if you do." Cynder said and walked her way right next to Spyro very closely with a big grin across her features; Spyro looked at her but couldn't help but smile back at her again.

The two dragons continued to walk out of the woods on their way back to the small lake where they thought would be a nice place to rest for the night. Only a few minutes went by and the finally made their way out of the dense forest, now is a straight shot to the lake but it still is a good size walk to their resting quarters. Spyro started to really struggle, dehydration and starvation had been setting in but now he really could tell. He was surprised that he could still walk let alone carry an animal that weighs just as much as he does if not more, but another ten minutes went by and they finally reach their resting spot and just in time too, the sun already started to disappear behind the horizon, casting a beautiful sunset. Spyro literally fell to the ground with the deer still on him and Cynder helped get the mammal off him, once the deer was completely off, he then got back up and walked to the lake and there he finally acquired a drink of water. He was so relieved when the cool liquid trickled down his throat. At this time, Cynder joined him and did the same. Even though they both had a little bit of a drink when they both were in the water, it wasn't much, what they thought would have been fine turned out to be hardly any at all.

After a long, refreshing drink of water, they disperse from the lake and back to their spot. Their resting grounds was close to some trees and behind the trees was a vertical wall of rock that led to the top of where the waterfall began it's rain down into the lake. Where they were was not even a hundred feet away from the waterfall, it seemed to sooth the two dragons as water fell from a reasonable height and pounded against the calm lake below, mist blowing in the breeze and small ripples crashed up the bank lightly; where the had chosen to stay for the night was simply bliss.

"Hey, Cynder?" Spyro asked.

"Yes, Spyro?" Cynder asked back.

"I'm going to get some wood for a fire, want to come?"

"Oh, no thanks, I'll stay here, I'll start working on the deer." Cynder finished before walked back and sat down next to the dead animal.

"Ok, I'll be back." Spyro then turned around and ran back to the nearest patch of woods for his search for wood. As he was running, he noticed that he wasn't as exhausted as he was earlier that day. He couldn't believe that a drink of water could help so much, even though he was still weak, he seemed to move a tiny bit faster and longer.

It didn't take Spyro long to reach the nearest forest, there he started to gather as much sticks and logs as he could. Once he had enough, he took off to the air and flew back to the sight with a big bundle of dried wood in his front forepaws. As soon as he came back to their campsite, he landed on his hind legs and dropped his load so he could rest on all fours. He then sat down and stacked the pieces of wood into a neat little pile, almost as if he was building something. Once he was finished; he turned his sights on Cynder who was laying down, cutting up the deer.

"Do you think this will be enough?" Spyro asked. Cynder smiled at the purple dragon before she answered.

"I think it will do for tonight."

Spyro then walked in front of Cynder so that the pile of wood was facing the lake, he took a deep breath and breathed out a steady stream of fire the ignited the wood instantly. The purple dragon then stopped his element and backed away a little as the light from the newly lit fire illuminated the darkening night sky. Spyro took a sigh of satisfaction and then walked over to where Cynder was to clam a piece of meat.

Once Spyro sat down next to Cynder, the black dragoness pushed a large chuck of deer to Spyro; the purple dragon just stared at it and didn't even touch it for several long moments. Cynder then looked over to his and relised that he wasn't eating and she was confused to why.

"Spyro, what's wrong, aren't you hungry?" Cynder asked.

"What? Oh, no, it's just I've never had deer before." Spyro spoke while still staring at the chunk of meat and a little embarrassed.

"What! You haven't?" Cynder shouted back, startling the purple dragon a bit.

"No, all I had was small mice, rabbits, and insects which I hated, that was before, well, never mind." Spyro spoke on but hesitated at the end, not wanting to tell the black dragoness that he thought his was a dragonfly.

"No, please, tell me." Cynder asked, hoping he would tell her.

"I'm sorry, it's a long story and I really don't want to talk about it." Spyro then looked away setting his sight back at the lake.

"We have time." Cynder asked back and looked at the purple dragon with a pleading glance.

"I'm sorry, I really don't want to talk about it right now, it's too embarrassing."

"Oh, ok, that's fine, I understand." Cynder answered with a sad expression but knew she didn't need to know her friend's personal thoughts. "Well, consider this your first taste of deer." She said back in a happy tone.

Once she had finished speaking, she then dug into her portion of deer. However, Spyro still stared at his for a little longer, then finally took a bit of his first piece of deer he has ever had in his life. Spyro's eyes enlarged when the meat reached his taste buds, he never had anything so delicious in his life. He couldn't believe how sixteen years of his life and he has never had deer before, now that he had tried it, he knew what he was missing and sees why every dragon he ran across said it was the best meal.

"Cynder, this is amazing!" Spyro shouted with his mouth full.

"I thought so." Cynder said quietly and laughed to herself by the way he was eating and the expression on his features.

The two dragons hardly said a word when the were enjoying their meal, after so long without eating a thing, they didn't have time to talk.

Complete darkness fell across the sky and the late night hunters came out for their meal, covering the night sky in activity that seemed almost relaxing. Both dragons finally finished their meals and sat down close to the fire and each other, they were almost in a trance as they stared into the fire, they didn't know what it was but the light from the fire seemed to make them very happy.

After a whole hour, they haven't even muttered a word, completely lost in the fires flames, but after a few minutes, Spyro managed to snap out of his thought and focus on his surroundings. He then thought back to what he wanted to do so bad when they were inside the volcano, what he wanted to say. He looked around and finally realized that this was the best place to make his move, to tell the black dragoness what he wanted to say for so long now.

To tell her that he loves her.

He took a few long, silent breaths to calm his nerves, and after a few more minutes of thinking, he is now ready to tell her that he loves her; he took another deep breath and he looked right at Cynder before he spoke.

"C-Cynder." Spyro spoke very timidly.

'Yes, Spyro?"

"I have to tell you something very important." Spyro said but not making eye contact with her.

"Anything, Spyro." Cynder said back. She knew something was on Spyro's mind but she couldn't tell if it was good or bad.

"B-back, in the volcano, I-I thought I heard y-you say something b-but I don't know if I heard right. B-but if I did or not, I-I still want to say this. C-Cynder, I-I l-"Spyro was suddenly cut of when Cynder got up, walked to Spyro, and pressed a talon against his muzzle. The act that Cynder did shocked the purple dragon a little, he didn't know what she was couldn't even finish his sentence and he was cut off by her. However, what confused Spyro the most was the loving smile Cynder gave him. After a few moments, Cynder finally broke the silence.

"Spyro, what you heard me say in the volcano is indeed true. And yes, I love you too." Cynder finished with a huge grin across her features. Spyro's eyes widened when he heard the three words, His heart pounded with joy, he was so happy to hear her say it again but this time under better circumstances and that Cynder knew what he was going to say. Cynder finally lay her talon back down so the purple dragon could talk.

"Cynder, I love you too! I-"Spyro was suddenly cut off again when the black dragoness wrapped her forepaws around his neck and pressed her muzzle against his in a kiss. His eyes widen and his body trembled but after a second later, his nerves seemed to melt away and he also wrapped his forepaws around her neck and applied a little pressure in return of her kiss.

Spyro could finally feel at ease, he is now with the dragoness he loves and cares so much for, and she feels the same way about him. After a whole minute, the two dragons broke up their kiss as they both blushed. They stared into their eyes with grins on their muzzles, thrilled by what just had happened.

"Cynder, I have always loved you but I didn't know how to tell you." Spyro said with happiness in his voice.

"I have too but I didn't know how to express my true feeling for you, I'm so glad that you know now." Cynder said and Spyro nodded in agreement. They both sat there, talking about their feeling and before they knew it, it was already extremely late.

"We should get some sleep now; I have a feeling that it's going to be a long day in the morning." Spyro suggested and Cynder nodded in agreement. Spyro then walked around to Cynder's left and lay down next to her, he draped a wing around her to keep the chilling air away, and when she rested her head down, Spyro gave her a kiss on the cheek and rested his head against her neck before he dozed off as well into his dream realm. After only a few minutes, both dragons were sound asleep as the fire slowly died away into the night leaving them in the dark alone.

***.*.***

Back in Warfang, all seems to be coming back to the way things should be. Mole workers have been rebuilding homes and the temple with the help of some dragons, and all of the dragon guards stood on the wall that surrounded the city in high hopes for their hero's safe return. Outside the temple, Sparx flew back and forth; waiting for Terrador's meeting to end. After another thirdly minutes of waiting, the doors of the temple finally opened a little and three dragon guards immerged from the opening. Two of the guards were fire dragons and the other an earth guard, they seemed to be very young to be guards but they were a little older then the dragonfly's brother.

As soon as the dragons had left, Sparx took off inside the temple. When he entered, he saw Terrador sitting in the middle of the room, talking to a very young earth dragoness, about fifteen in age. The dragonfly flew a little closer but stopped to a hover, close enough to here the conversation but at a respectable distance, waiting for him to be alone with the big earth dragon.

"Thank you Master Terrador." The young dragoness said then gave a respectable bow to the earth guardian.

"You're welcome, Trema, now, off to bed with you, young one." Terrador finished with a small grin that appeared on his features. When the earth guardian finished speaking, Trema turned around and exited the temple. Once the dragoness was gone; Sparx then flew up to Terrador for his turn to ask questions.

"Hey, I didn't know there were other dragons in the city, I thought it was just moles and you guys and a few other dragons that I saw." Sparx said as he pointed a finger to the door.

"Indeed they are many dragons that live here, why do you think they call it the dragon city?" Terrador responded.

"Yeah but I hardly saw any when we first arrived." He questioned but a little confused.

"That's because they were all in shelters provided for such attack, that's where they all were when you have arrived to the city, and even most of our guards were there to protect the citizens, however, we had a few warriors with the moles on the ramparts." The bulk earth dragon finished.

"Well that makes sense, anyway, what about the search parties for my brother?" Sparx asked in a firm tone. He was so worried about his larger brother, he wanted him found or to return home and he wanted it now.

"Ah yes, I'm sure that's why you have beckoned here. Earlier today, Volteer and Cyril discussed over their disagreements. Moreover, set their differences aside and focused on gathering guards for search, as we speak they are looking for them. Cyril and his troops acknowledged to look at the north and Volteer to the east, our young warriors are out there somewhere and we will find them." Terrador spoke with his deep voice getting louder as he progressed on, but when he finished, he brought his head closer to the floating ball of light and finished speaking in a much softer tone.

"I know you feel pain deep down by you mustn't give up hope, they will arrive sooner then you'll think." Terrador finished with a smile across his features, although, Sparx couldn't tell that he was grinning because of his more serious look.

"Well I think he'll show up now!" Sparx shouted and pointed to the door again but nothing near it. "Ok, how 'bout now!" Again nothing. "Now!" Terrador just rolled his eyes and shook his head by Sparx's childish response.

"I'm afraid it's not going to work like that, Sparx. It'll take time but I guarantee they will soon." Even when times are tough, the dragonfly still finds a way to spread a little humor into every situation.

"I'm sorry, Terrador, I have to find something to do for the time, and if he doesn't walk through those doors within the next two minutes, then I'll have a lot more time then." Sparx explained which made the large dragon a little annoyed but understood what he is going through.

"It's all understood, Sparx. We shall know more reports about the search when they arrive tomorrow morning. In the mean time, you should get some sleep, its been a long day and it's also late." Terrador said as he rose to his feet and started to walk to the double doors of the temple to exit. Sparx didn't like the suggestion what the earth guardian had to offer and he flew right up to his face to say what he thought about it.

"So you're just going to sleep while my brother could be dying who knows where? Do I also have to mention that he saved all of our lives and all you could do is send only two small groups in search for him!" Sparx shouted at the larger earth guardian.

Terrador saw the anger and the sadness in his eyes; he took a deep sigh, and then spoke.

"Sparx, I could only imagine what you are going through and yes, you are indeed correct. I'll go gather as many guards as I can and I'll escort them to the west in search for them, we will not stop until we do." The earth guardian said just before he exited the doors to take flight to the center of the city, but just when he was about to, he heard Sparx shout out.

"What! I want to come." Sparx demanded, hoping for the guardian will agree with him. The earth dragon could see that he really wanted to go, he really wanted to find his brother and to be the first to see him but Terrador knew that he had to stay, for his own safety. Terrador then lowered his head and sighed again, signaling Sparx an unsettling answer.

"Sparx, you cannot journey with me on this investigation, you need to stay here, for if Spyro and Cynder returns while we are not here, you need to stay to greet him if he comes on his own." Sparx was very disappointed by the earth dragon's answer but as hard as he wanted to go, he didn't even hesitate and agreed with the guardian with a firm nod of his head.

"Good, now I'm off to recruit some more troops for this search, you may assist me for the time being, Sparx," Terrador said to the young dragonfly and again Sparx gave a firm nod in agreement.

"Alright then, let's begin." Terrador said before he took a mighty flap with his massive wings and intently was airborne. As always, Sparx was right above his head, following him so they could start another search party, it didn't take that long of a flight until they were where they needed to be to begin their task. Once Terrador landed firmly on the ground, he looked around and surprisingly he saw several guards walking the city where he just landed. Just when the earth guardian was about to speak, a fire dragon guard in gold armor spoke before he did.

"Master, Terrador," The guard said with a bow, "What brings you here on such late hour? Is something wrong?" The guard said in a firm voice but Terrador could make out a little worry in his voice.

"Oh no, I have come forth here tonight to create another group of dragon guards in search for our young warriors, Spyro and Cynder." Terrador demanded.

"But sir, we just sent two groups in search for them several hours ago; it'll take a few days to hear something about the situation." The guard protested.

"I realize that, however, we need all the assist we can get to locate them and if it means to have every guard in the city to go on search, then by the ancestors we'll do it!" The earth guardian demanded, he had frustration on his features and he didn't want to take no for an answer, but the fire guard still hesitated.

"Master, Terrador, with all do respect, we cannot leave the city unguarded for a search right now, there could be possible attacks to the city, now I don't know if you care but it is my job as well as the others to protect the city and all who live in it!" The fire guard spat, once he finished speaking, Terrador was furious with anger, he couldn't believe what he just heard come out of the fire guards' mouth. This time, Terrador couldn't hold back his anger any more, Sparx knew what was going to happen and it wasn't going to be pleasant so he turned around and flew as fast as he could over to the nearest building and hid behind it until the matter was solved.

"Listen to me! That dragon out there happens to be the legendary purple dragon who spent his whole life fighting in that war, been entombed in a crystal for three years, defeated Malefor and even saved all of us from complete destruction by reuniting the world back together!" Terrador shouted that caused an echo throughout the city, once he stopped to take a breath, all the moles that were working on the homes near by and the dragons that were passing through all stopped in their tracks immediately as every head turned, startled a little by what the earth dragon was so mad about. The fire guard just stood there in place, not even moving a muscle, and not wanting to look at the earth guardian straight in the eye, in all his years of knowing the guardians, he had never seen them so mad, but what made him feel even worse was that the earth guardian was mad at him. Terrador then took a deep sigh before he continued on.

"The least we could do is send out more troops on search for him, and also, it's not just Spyro and Cynder that we're looking for, it's also our fire guardian, Ignitus, he journeyed with our young warriors on their way through the belt of fire and has not returned, so it's very important that we find them." The fire guards' eyes widened a little when he heard the name on the fire guardian, he was completely dumbstruck that a guardian was missing, and now he started to understand the situation they were in.

"In addition, the city will not be unguarded, we still have the mole guards to protect the city for any possible enemy attacks which I highly doubt. Spyro brought a new age, an age where evil can never be brought up. Now I ask again, will you gather all your troops so we can continue on with the search?" Terrador ask firmly, the fire guard didn't answer for the first few seconds but eventually gave a short, firm nod in agreement.

"Yes sir, Master Terrador." He said in a timid voice and then turned around and took to the air for the gathering of his troops. After the guard was gone from sight, Sparx finally came around the building and started to fly back to Terrador's side slowly.

"You said you need help but I think you can take care of everything on your own." Sparx muttered in a timid voice, he seen the guardians a little upset with him but never did he see one of then that angry at anyone before. "But I don't want to take your bad side, and get yelled at like, well, that." Sparx finished and pointed to where the guard flew off. What Sparx said made the earth guardian smile just a little, and then he took a deep breath to explain.

"That fire guard is not just any guard; that was Zalon, the head master of the dragon guards, just like Mason is the head master for the mole guards. He informs the others to do on his command, weather it's on a search or a battle, every dragon guard that helps to protect this city fallows under his commands. I've had trouble with him in the past but never like this."

Once Terrador stopped to take a breath, Sparx flew in a little closer to ask his question.

"But aren't you and the other guardians like the head masters of all dragons?" Sparx asked with a confused look and a raised brow.

"Indeed you are correct, and whatever the head guard performs is strictly under our control. However, he acts like he can make his own orders sometimes, nevertheless, he follows orders and completes the job like the way we want it, and that's all that matters." Terrador explained.

"I see so. Ok, what do we do now?" Sparx asked while witling his thumbs and looking around.

"We wait for him to come back, he will gather all the available guards for this search, and he shouldn't be long though. However, I have some business to take care of back at the temple for the time being involving with this search, I'll need to head back for a short while, you're welcome to come." Terrador said, about to take flight back to the temple again but waited for the dragonfly's response.

"Well that sounds easy enough." Sparx finished and then rested on Terrador's shoulder, getting ready for the earth guardian to fly him back to the temple. Once everything was settled, Terrador took flight and headed back to the temple, several minutes had pass by and they finally entered the building. Sparx then flew off the earth guardian's shoulder, flew up to a chandelier high in the temple, and sat down on it to kill the time away while Terrador had to do some personal work on their search for his brother.

Several long minutes went by and the earth guardian still wasn't ready to head back to see if the head guard has returned with the troops, and as always, Sparx started to get bored. Nevertheless, after a few more moments later, the yellow dragonfly started to doze off and not even knowing it, and after only a minute later, he was out for a snooze for the night.

An hour had past and now was around midnight in the city with the bright moons as the only light source. Terrador finally finished his work and now ready to head back, he was just about to head out when he realized the young dragonfly was sound asleep on the chandelier.

"Sparx, are you ready to head back?" The massive earth guardian shouted trying to awake the sleeping dragonfly.

"What? Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess so." Sparx woke up a little confused but then realized what was going on very quickly. He then stretched his tiny arms high above him and then flew back to the guardian. Sparx then flew ahead of Terrador, eager to go even though how late it was.

"Come on, we don't have all night!" Sparx hollered out impatiently, buzzing on out the temple and headed to the sight where the guards will set up the group to search for his legendary brother, leaving the earth guardian behind.

Terrador just rolled his eyes when the dragonfly buzzed out so breathlessly but he rather have that then him acting like a bump on a log.

It didn't take too long for them to reach their destination and once Terrador landed, Sparx flew up to his shoulder, hovering above him, and the massive earth dragon then sat back down on the decretive stony ground, waiting for the fire guard to return with the rest of the city forces.

After a few minutes of waiting, the earth guardian then noticed a dragon flying right to him and he realized it was Zalon. The head guard then landed on the ground right next to the massive earth guardian, and when he did, behind him were several dragon guards landing right after their head master. Once Terrador saw the massive group of guards, he slowly rose to his feet in greeting to the dragons of the city. As he rose up, he bumped into to yellow dragonfly who seemed to have dosed off a little while still flying in mid air. As soon as Sparx felt the jolt, he opened his eyes immediately and looked around to see whom or what has caused the jolt.

"What's wrong? Is that up tight no-good, dirty little rotten, non-brother-saver guard here yet? I'm getting tired of waiting for that dragon!" Sparx said with anger at the head guard, the thoughts he said about not wanting to set on search for the dragon that save everyone really disgusted the yellow-glowing dragonfly. Luckily, the head guard didn't hear him say all those things about him, and Sparx was completely unaware that he was right there when he spoke his complaint. Once Sparx saw that the guard didn't hear him, he wiped the sweat off his head with his tiny hand and also with a long sigh of relief.

"Zalon has returned with quite a few guards." Terrador whispered to Sparx. Once he finished, he then walked over to he youngish fire guard.

"Master Terrador, I have brought you the rest of our dragon guards. When shall you seek to dispatch?" Zalon asked with a bow of his head.

"Thank you, Zalon and how many guards are coming in this mission?" Terrador stood tall and asked back.

"There are about two hundred guards with us this evening, Master. They are what's left of the city's forces." He spat. However, the way he said it sounded a little demanding in Terrador's mind, nonetheless, he has done what he was told and now they could continue on with the search.

"Thank you; the moles should be good enough security as we mount this search for our hero's." Terrador said quietly, and then when he finished talking to the fire guard, he turned and faced the crowd of dragons so he could make a speech of what they all have been summoned for. The earth guardian expanded his massive lungs with air, stretched out tall and spoke loudly for all guards to hear.

"Listen to me!" Terrador shouted to get all of the guards' attention. "I have summoned you all here tonight for an important mission! We are still missing three very important dragons; these brave souls are the reason why we are still alive here today! The legendary purple dragon, Spyro, his companion, Cynder, and helping them on their victory is our fire guardian, Ignitus! We must find them at all cost even if it takes weeks or months, we will find them. So, are we ready to depart?" Terrador finished and asked to the massive group of guards. Every head turned to their head master and the Zalon gave a firm nod to the earth guardian in satisfaction.

"Good, now le-"He was suddenly cut off by a glowing yellow blur that zipped up in front of his muzzle.

"Hey whoa, whoa, big guy, you can't just leave without giving me a place to sleep." Sparx said in a loud tone with his arms crossed.

"Oh, is that so?" Terrador said but with a bit of annoyance in his voice.

"Yeah, where am I going to crash for the night, since I'm not going?" Turning his head and mumbling to himself the last part but Terrador still could hear him clearly.

"Sparx, go back to the temple and up the main stairway. There should be some mole workers when you get to the second floor, ask them where you'll be staying, I already picked out a room for you and your brother. It's still under work but I find that your room will be to your liking."

"Ah, ok, now carry on." Sparx said and he backed out of the earth guardian's way but didn't head to the temple just yet, he wanted to make sure they leave as soon as possible in search for his purple brother.

"Now then, everything settled?" Terrador asked and he faced Sparx who was hovering to his right. Sparx didn't even pay attention to the earth guardian, he had his arms crossed and whistled off key to himself, staring at the crowd of dragons and waiting for their response. Nevertheless, after a few seconds and not one dragon made a sound, he looked back to the earth guardian and saw that he was staring right at him with his brow raised.

"Oh, you meant me? Oh yeah, go on, leave me in the forsaken city alone with nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs and wait for one of you to find my brother. I have nothing better to do." Sparx complained as he waved his hands in the air, Terrador just rolled his eyes at the dragonfly by his invariable complaining; even the head guard rolled his eyes by what Sparx was talking about.

"Is that all?" Terrador ask giving him an eerie glare and annoyance in his tone of words.

"Yes!" Sparx crossed his arms again, gave a sharp nod and practically spat out that word out of his mouth.

"Ok then, now that is accomplished, let's get on with the search. We must travel a fair distance before the sun rises." Terrador spoke in a calm and quiet voice for only Sparx and the head guard to hear. Then he stretched out tall and spoke again but this time in a deep roaring voice.

"NOW, LET'S MOVE!" Terrador bellowed out, he then gave a firm nod to Zalon and the fire guard gave one back before he took to the night sky with all the other guard dragons flying behind him. Terrador was just about to take off when he felt a tiny hand touch him on the shoulder, he didn't need to guess who it was to realize that Sparx was the cause of the touch and he didn't even need for him to speak what was on his mind for Terrador to find out. The earth guardian turned and faced the yellow dragonfly with a small grin across his features, which rarely anyone sees; he didn't even let Sparx say a word before he did as he already knew what he was going to say.

"Everything is going to be fixed, Sparx, we will find him and nothing will stop us from doing so." Terrador spoke to the glowing dragonfly. "And I am curtain our young warrior is alive and well, I wouldn't be surprised if he returns on his own." Once the earth guardian finished, Sparx gave a little chuckle, knowing that Spyro would try his hardest in anything, even returning home on his own. "Either way, we will have him back in our lives again, it'll just take some time but you'll see." Once Terrador finished, Sparx took a sigh of relief, he believing that Terrador is indeed right, that Spyro will return and they'll be together again.

"Thanks, Terrador, I needed that. I guess I'm just a little upset that he's not here and all." Sparx mumbled and lowered his head.

"Don't be saddened by this predicament, we'll do the best we can and I'm sure he'll be here sooner then you will think." Terrador said, trying to perk up the lonely dragonfly, then he took a talon and raised the dragonflies' chin up. "You must keep your chin up, and expect the best. Become as strong as you can, that is all we can do for the time being." As soon as Terrador finished speaking, he spread his massive wings and with a mighty flap, he was in the air, racing to get in front of the group of guards to begin their search for the missing dragons. Sparx waited where the massive green dragon took off at, waving until they were out of sight. Once they were gone completely, Sparx finally flew back to the temple were he was going to find the room and hopefully get some sleep of what's left of the night.

After about a ten-minute flight, he finally made it back to the temple and entered through the double doors. It didn't take Sparx long to find the stairway and in no time, he was at the second floor where indeed two mole workers were working at such a late hour. However, he didn't bother to ask why, but he did fly up to the nearest mole worker to ask where his new room was at.

"Uh, hi, sorry to bother you but I was told by Terrador, the big guy, the earth guardian. Uh, whatever, that there is a room for my brother and I up here?" Sparx ask while he talked with his hands.

"Oh yes, Master Sparx, right this way." The mole said and stopped what he was doing, turned around and signaled the dragonfly to follow him.

"Oh, Master." Sparx repeated to himself, liking the way he was addressed by, and after he finished enjoying it, he then flew to the mole that was taking him to his and his brother's room. They continued on for a few minutes, passing rooms left and right, just when Sparx was going to ask how much further, the mole stopped in front of a big wooden red oak door with decorative carving throughout the door. When Sparx took sight of the door, he was now more excited to see the interior of the room.

"This is where you and your brother will stay. This room was specially constructed for you two as well as Cynder's which is next door, there is still a little work that needs to be done but we are done for the night and we should be done completely by tomorrow morning. I hope you find it to your liking." The mole said. When he finished, he opened the door and extended his paw for Sparx to proceed in.

Sparx then entered the room, but when he looked around and saw the whole place, he was entirely shocked by what lied in front of him. His eyes then widened in surprise by the size and the way the room was constructed.

"Oh, yeah, I can get use to this." Sparx said quietly as he twitted his hands for a few seconds, and then flew full speed in.

***.*.***

Zackary sat down alone on the rich green grass in the middle of a vast meadow, enjoying the day without anything to worry about. Everything seemed to be at ease, the birds were singing, the sun was high in the sky, there was a light breeze cooling off the air without making it to chilly, it was just picture perfect for the black dragon. Zackary has been sitting in the same spot for over an hour now; he could never remember another day where it was completely pleasurable because all was at war his whole life, now that he has this moment, he wants to take advantage of it for as long as he can.

After several more calming moments of relaxation, the young black dragon happened to look in front of him in the sky but he saw something flying to him from a distance. Zackary tried to focus his eyes on the oncoming object but to no success as for they were too far away, but not long after that, he could finally make out that the flying object were dragons, but what really through him in a loop was not one, but two dragons in the sky. Zackary couldn't believe that there were dragons in the area, the sight of the visitors made him so excited inside because he had not seen another dragon in years. However, what shocked him the most was one appeared to by black, and the other seemed to be purple. Zackary couldn't believe what he was seeing, after the sighting of a possible purple dragon, he blinked his eyes a couple times and looked back to the same spot to see if he was just imagining it.

Nevertheless, what he saw before was still there and getting closer and lower, like they were going to land in front of him. His heart raced when he knew that he is possibly going to meet the legendary purple dragon, something he dreamed about for most of his life when he heard the tale of the purple dragon and what his destiny was. He was so excited; he jumped to his feet with a big smile on his muzzle, and waited for the dragons, hoping they would land on their way through.

He didn't need to wait long to get his answer, because after a minute or so, the two dragons were close to the ground, getting ready to land next to him. Once they were close enough, they finally touched down to the ground and continued their way to the black dragon. Zackary still couldn't believe it, the legendary purple dragon was now only a few feet away from him. But then the black dragon's eye was caught to the other black dragon, it was a dragoness, but something looked familiar, as if he seen her before. Zackary couldn't put a claw on it but he knew something was recognizable with her but at the same time, something was completely different too. He continued to stare at the black dragoness with a puzzled look across his features until they were right in front of him no more then a few meters away.

"Hello, do you know where Warfang is from here?" The purple dragon asked.

"No, I don't, sorry. But, aren't you the legendary purple dragon? The one who ended the war and defeated the one who caused it all?" Zackary asked but he had a good feeling he knew the answer.

"Yes, that's me, my name is Spyro." He answered.

"Nice to meet you, Spyro, my name is Zackary, my brother and I had always dreamed of meeting the one who will save us all from evil and bring peace to the world." Zackary said with excitement that his hero is right in front of him. "I'm sorry to ask but who is your friend?" The black dragon asked, finally he could know why she looks so familiar.

"Oh, yes, this is my great friend, Cynder." Spyro said politely. The purple dragon's voice saying the one word echoed in Zackary's mind. The word 'Cynder' sent shivers down his spine of fear and his eyes widen of shock; it all was clear to him whom she was. 'The Terror of the Skies.' 'The Dark Master's Puppet.' The one who killed so many lives was standing right in front of him, the only thing he was confused about way her appearance, she is a lot smaller then she was but he didn't dread on that as much. Zackary stared at the black dragoness with fear in his eyes as he slowly backed away, Spyro had a confused look across his features as the young black dragon slowly retreated away.

"Zackary, are you ok?" Spyro asked worriedly.

"T-t-that i-is C-Cynder, T-terror o-of the s-skies, W-why a-are you w-with h-her?" Zackary hesitated by a wave of fear that came over him, he couldn't believe that she was next to the legendary purple dragon, could he be evil too? His excitement filled with terror and confusion in an instant.

"Oh, Cynder? No, no, no, it's a long story but she's not who you think she is." Spyro said as he shook his head, but when he looked back at Cynder, she had a devious grin on her muzzle, something that Spyro only saw when she was possessed, his playful smile instantly turned into confusion when he saw it.

"Oh Spyro, when will you ever learn?" Cynder asked in the same voice as when she was older. Now the purple dragon knew something was wrong.

"Cynder, what do you mean?" The purple dragon asked with a terrified look on his features.

"Typical Spyro, always asking questions but never succeeds on getting an answer. I can't believe you thought I was good inside, all this time I helped you defeat my master, and now with him out of the way, I can finally take back what's mine, and I'll start by taking your life." Then, without warning, a thick layer of dark clouds rolled in, blocking the sun from view; lightning then started to shoot out from them in all directions, striking everything in its path, and the wind picked up as it swirled around the once calming meadow. The black dragoness then grew to her massive adult self with an evil laugh.

Zackary couldn't believe what he was seeing, he also couldn't understand how the purple dragon could fall for something so obvious, but again, he didn't understand how she was younger too and why she was with him.

"Cynder! H-how c-could you. You were never truly evil, how could you do this?" Spyro protested as some tears started to form around his eyes.

"Things change, Spyro. Goodbye, Spyro." She said those last words before she took her massive talon and swung it at the purple dragon. Spyro couldn't even move because the one he loved turned against him, he was in shock. Zackary's eyes widened in fear when he saw Cynder's talon rake against Spyro's body, cutting in deep and throwing him several meters away, killing him instantly.

Zackary was stunned by terror as he just witnessed to legendary purple dragon getting killed by the evil Cynder, after all those years of wanting to see the purple dragon and when he does, he is instantly killed on the spot without even knowing it.

Zackary tried to turn around so he could try to run for his life but something was wrong, the black dragon tried as hard as he could but he couldn't move at all, like he was frozen in this one spot. Zackary started to panic as the large black dragoness started to walk her way to him; he thrashed his head and hollered out but still couldn't move. His mind wanted to run away but his body wouldn't respond.

"Why can't I move!" Zackary hollered, "What's going on, can someone help me?" He hollered again but nobody answered, it was just him and Cynder. But when Cynder became a little closer, he heard his name.

"Zackary."

A strange voice called out but very quietly. Zackary then stopped panicking when he heard it but only for a second as it sounded a little familiar to him, he didn't dwell on what he heard as he thought it could have been the howling wind. Then Zackary focused of the evil dragon and nearly jumped out of his scales when he saw that she was towering right over him with an evil smirk across her features.

"No one is going to save you, little one. Now that I have found you again, I can finally end your life and be apart with that purple peasant." The massive black dragoness said with a laugh. Zackary was scared to death as he was staring at the dragon he was terrified the most, now up close and about to end his life. Then Zackary heard the same voice again, this time, it was a lot louder and clearer to him.

"Zackary, wake up! Snap out of it!" The voice said again, and now, the black dragon knew who the owner is; it was his brother, Singe. Zackary was surprised to hear his brother, but he had no clue where he was.

"Singe? Where are you, Help me!" He shouted out with fear all over him as Cynder was going to end his life for good. He couldn't help keep the tears back and started to run down his muzzle.

"Zackary! You're dreaming, open your eyes!" Singe shouted in a firm voice.

"My eyes are open! Please, save me! Don't let her kill me!" Zackary hollered one last time. When he finished, he looked back up to see Cynder hesitating a little but then continued on what she was doing.

"Say good night." Cynder said with an evil laugh. Then, the massive black dragoness reared to her hind legs and swung her head out as if in slow motion. The black dragon could only watch as the black dragoness started to speed up with her talon coming at him, ready to slice into his body.

"NOOOOOOO!" Zackary hollered as he thought he was seeing his life flash before his eyes. He then closed his eyes and waited for his life to end, but then only a second later, he opened his eyes again and everything disappeared, as if it had never happened. But when he opened them fully, he saw that he was back in the cave, lying on the cave floor with his brother standing above him with a worried expression across his features.

"Where am I, what's going on?" Zackary wondered as he jumped to his feet and looked all around the cave, even though it was hard to see since their only light source was a small torch on the wall of the cave that Singe ignited when his brother woke him up.

"It's ok, Zack, you were just dreaming, and by the sound of it, it must have been worse this time." Singe said trying to calm down his younger brother.

"I-it w-was all a d-dream?" The young black dragon asked, stuttering in his words by the fear and terror that still trembled through his body.

"Yes, Zack, you're safe here." Singe said back, still trying to calm him down, but Zackary couldn't, he was so frightened by his dream that he couldn't hold the tears back any longer and they started to slowly trickle down his neck. He tried as hard as he could not to get emotional about it but alas he couldn't help to, and even though he was embarrassed by the way he was acting in front of his older brother, he jumped up and wrapped his forepaws around his elder brother in a emotional hug.

"She almost killed me, Singe, she almost ended my life!" Zackary sobbed, he had never been so scared in his life, and what made it even worse was he was all alone. Singe's eyes nearly popped out of his head when his younger brother mentioned someone was trying to kill him, and what confused him the most was he said… She…

"She, who do you mean she?" Singe questioned, surprised what he was talking about.

"Cynder… She looked like the same age as you but then she grew to her evil self and killed him and tried to kill me, b-but then y-you finally woke me." Zackary finished and then buried his head in his brother's chest with tears running off his neck and down the red dragon's scales. Singe was completely stunned when his brother told him it was the most horrifying dragoness in the world, the one who killed thousands of lives, and now trying to kill him in a dream. Then he thought back to what he said, he mentioned him. Who was he?

"Wait, who did she kill?" Singe asked.

"I saw him, Singe, the legendary purple dragon, he was with Cynder but then she killed him." Zackary finished and finally let go of his brother and back away a little until they were spaced out a few feet, but still with a few tears streaming down his muzzle.

"Well, it'll be fine, Zack, it was just a dream, it wasn't real."

"But I don't understand, we never seen the purple dragon before and we may never will, but I saw him in my dream." Zackary protested, knowing that this had to of mean something but wasn't sure of what.

"It might have been just dumb luck, Zack. You can't possibly think that you actually saw the purple dragon in your dream without even knowing what he looks like." Singe argued but also with a confused look by what his brother dreamed about.

He couldn't have seen the purple dragon, there's no way he could of known whet he looked like in person, unless there were some kind of connection to this predicament, but if there was, what could it be? Could he have some kind of power for him to see something without really meeting it, or is it something his mind made up to what he thought he saw as the purple dragon and Cynder in a younger form? The thought raced in the red dragon's mind, he didn't know what the black dragon was talking about but he knew now not to push this one to the side and forget it ever happened, there is something intertwined with this and he wanted to salve this solution.

"But Singe, it was him, I know it!" Zackary protested again, tired that his elder brother wasn't listening to him.

"Ok, ok, let's just talk about it in the morning, it's late and I'm tired." When he finished speaking, he then lay back down on the somewhat soft cave ground, getting ready to fall back to sleep. "Are you feeling better now, can you fall back to sleep? I hate to see you go through such torture." Singe asked. Zackary then took a deep sigh and looked down to his talons as he thought back to his horrible nightmare, and how frightened he still was, he waited a few long seconds before he finally responded back.

"No… I thing I'll go for a little walk to the mouth of the cave, just to try and forget about it and get a little fresh air, I'll be fine though." Zackary raised his head and slowly started to walk but the voice of his red brother made him stop.

"Let me come with you, you shouldn't be alone at night." Singe demanded and he rose to his paws, ready to go with his younger brother. Then the black dragon waved a paw in front of his brother for him to halt.

"It's ok, Singe, I'll be ok, I'll go alone, just for a short time, you get some sleep, I'll be back." Zackary finished with a small smile started to tug on the sides of his muzzle. Singe couldn't help but smile back in agreement and lied back down.

"Ok, but don't be too long." He finished and then rested his head on his paws.

"Fine, mother!" Zackary complained but with a chuckle, as Singe saying to protect him but also sounding like a mother dragon. After his little joke against his brother, he then made his way down the cave to the opening, which could take him a little while considering the length of the tunnel, but nonetheless, he finally exited the long dark cave to where it opens up as the mouth of the cave.

Zackary was greeted by the glow of the two celestial moons as the brought light into the night sky. When he finally made it to the edge of the cave, he sat down and stared up at the peaceful moons, delighted by their appearance. The sight of the moons put a grin on his muzzle as it did his whole life, even in the worst of times; the best way for him to calm down was looking at the magnificence moons. Even in the daytime, he would try to find them and if the time was right, he would find them easily, but when not; he tried to picture them in his head and it has always seemed to reassure him.

He sat in the same spot for several long moments, just looking at the night sky as some falling stars enter the atmosphere and burn up by the intense heat. He seemed to calm himself down from the tragic nightmare he had that sent chills down his spine, and after a few more minutes, he finally let the terrifying thought drift away and relieve his mind enough that he could once again enter the realm of slumber. He still had dreadful thought about his dream nevertheless; he reassured himself enough to sleep for the rest of the night undisturbed.

* * *

><p><strong>EWWWWWWW! Kissing scene! XP And, YAY, Finally they are out of their ordeal! :D <strong>

**And, what does this mean for Zackary's nightmare? Well, don't ask me, wait til next time. XP Although it was pretty horrable for him, but he has his older brother to take care of him so.**

**So, whatcha guys think of it? Please R&R it and let me know. ;D**

**Oh, one more thing before I go, as some may have seen, I have a part in my profile that has when I'll update my next chapter, although I might delay but if I do, I'll let you know a few days before. Another thing, I'll try to update the next one faster but then after that, I'll be taking a 6 week break to catch up on my chapters. D:! I know and I'm so sorry but after the 6 week break, I'll update every 2 weeks for a good amount of time.**

**K, til next time. :D**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hello, here I am. :) To bring you guys another chapter. :D** **Yes this one is shorter but I didn't down-size the write-up. :) I wrote this one faster then I usally do but I worked on it at least 3 hours a day or more. D: So, I'm tired. -_-Zzzz... Like I said before, this is the last chapter til the 28th of July. D:) Sorry but I NEED to catch up on my chapters.**

** Uh, hmmm, oh yeah, Thank you for all who Read and Reviewed my story, It means a lot! :D **

**Ok, enough out of me (Again) XP On with chapter 4-5. XD Hope you all like this one.**

**Oh, last thing, please vote my poll. D K, that's all. Bye. **

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

The sun slowly rose over the horizon on two young sleeping dragons. Spyro's eyes twitched rapidly when the sunlight first shone in his eyes, and he groaned in confusion about what was shining at him. After a few more minutes of twitching his body and groaning loudly, he finally opened his eyes and awoke from his peaceful slumber. Now that he was fully awake, he then stood up on all fours and stretched out all his muscles from stiffness while yawning wide in the process. Once he was finished, he looked to where the sun was rising and could tell that it was still early in the morning. He then set his sight to the ground just to the side where he had risen, and there was a stunning black dragoness lying there, still in her dream realm.

Spyro couldn't help but smile with a light chuckle when he heard her groaning a little, his heart filled with joy and happiness when they told each other their everlasting love for one another that past night. He then took a joyful sigh and sat back down on the ground next to his love. The purple dragon then draped a friendly wing around the black dragoness and pulled her closer to him. He still had a large grin across his features when she would still groan and talk in her sleep, and then he took a claw and lightly brushed it down Cynder's back from her tail, all the way to her muzzle, which made her laugh and smile in her sleep by the tickling sensation.

Spyro couldn't help but laugh a little louder when he saw her loving the sensation. He kept rubbing her for several more minutes and then he simply lowered his head and kissed the black dragoness on the top of her head.

"I love you, Cynder." Spyro whispered affectionately. The sound of him saying those words sent more sparks of happiness through his body, simply at ease. And just as he finished, Cynder's eyes started to twitch by the sound of the purple dragon's voice. She then began to toss and turn a little as she started to awake from her slumber. Spyro watched as Cynder's eyes started to open a little but then snap shut by the light from the rising sun. Nevertheless, after a few more seconds, she reopened her eyes and this time she opened them fully.

Cynder lay there with her eyes open, taking in her bearing. She soon turned her head, looked up, and saw a purple dragon that was next to her with his right wing tightly wrapped around her flank, keeping her warmth in. Cynder couldn't help but to smile a tiny bit when she made eye contact with the dragon she loved, surprised that he was awake as early as it was.

"Good morning, Cynder. How was your lovely night?" Spyro asked politely.

"Good morning, Spyro." Cynder said with excitement in her voice, glad that the purple dragon was the first thing she saw when she had awakened. "Magnificent. This had to of been the best sleep I have ever had in years!" She expressed with even more excitement in her voice, just thrilled to have a good night sleep in peace. "What about you?

"Wonderful. But it was even better spending it with you." Spyro answered in a timid voice, a little shy to his response but managing to finish without stuttering, now that they know their love for each other. Cynder blushed with a smile and turned her head away but her sight was still on the purple dragon, trying to hide the expression on her features.

"Ah, you're so sweet." Cynder replied, turning around and giving Spyro a peck on the side of his muzzle, and this time it was Spyro's time to turn a little red but nothing noticeable.

The two dragons lay in comfort for several long moments, resting their heads on their paws. Only a few more minutes later, Spyro then retracted his wing from around Cynder's body and slowly rose to his paws. Cynder looked up at him with a confused look on to why he did so, but didn't protest and she too rose up, popping her joints back together.

"So, whatcha want to do now?" Cynder asked

"Any deer left? I'm kinda hungry." Spyro asked but with a little embarrassment in the way he spoke. Cynder just looked at the purple dragon by his silly remark, but also had to agree with him, as she too felt starved.

"Yeah, me too. I hope it's still there." Cynder replied and the two walked over to where they had placed the carcass for the night so no night predators would steal their catch. Once they reached where they placed it underneath the waterfall, Cynder looked behind a large rock and saw their catch.

"Yep, it's still here." Cynder said. She then clamped her jaws onto what was left of the deer and dragged it out from behind the rock. Once it was fully emerged from the other side of the boulder, the two dragons sat down on their haunches with the animal in between them and started to chow down on the remains of meat. They enjoyed every swallow they took until they finished the rest of the deer. In about fifteen minutes, they rose to their feet and started to walk around the lake close to each other, leaving a pile of bones behind where they were sitting.

As they walked, Spyro took a depressing sigh, which alarmed the black dragoness. "Something wrong, Spyro?" She asked, looking to her right at the purple dragon.

"Huh? Oh, no, nothing. Just curious about where Warfang is." Spyro answered the black dragoness's question. "I don't understand how it's possible for us not to see a massive city. To my guess, it looked to be about ten miles away from the volcano and at that height we were at, our visibility had to of been at least a hundred miles or so. Unless…"

Spyro trailed off and halted dead in his tracks by what had just popped in his head. Cynder was surprised when the purple dragon stopped all of a sudden. She then turned around and gave him a confused expression as he stared into space.

"Unless what, Spyro?" Cynder answered with a little worry in her voice, but mostly confusion onto what he was thinking at the moment. Spyro took a long depressing sigh before he spoke, curtain that what had popped in his head was correct.

"Unless… The world didn't form back to its former alignment." Spyro spoke very quietly. Then helowered his head once he finished speaking, but Cynder still had a puzzled look across her features.

"Spyro, what do you mean? That Warfang is further away?" Cynder demanded to know an answer but surprisingly kept calm mostly with confusion as to what he was saying. She had an idea what he was talking about but hoped she was wrong. Spyro filled his lungs again and relised in another long, depressing sigh.

"What I mean is, when the world broke apart, it was broken up into millions of pieces of earth, some larger than others. And when the earth disintegrated, it was still orbiting in motion, which means the debris was circling as if whole but smaller pieces rotated faster than others, spreading further out into space…" Spyro paused for a few seconds, making sure the black dragoness understood what he was talking about, and to his surprise, Cynder gave him a firm nod, understanding his every word. "If my prediction is correct, then when I reunited the earth, the pieces didn't connect back to their former places, not only creating a new age, but a new world." Spyro finished, a little tired from his long speech.

"So what you're saying is… we're further away from home than we thought?" Cynder asked slowly. Spyro gave a firm nod in agreement to her question.

"It's out here somewhere, we just need to locate it, but it might take a journey depending on how far it is from here." Spyro explained.

"Well isn't that just our luck." Cynder spat out which made the purple dragon chuckle a little as this always seemed to be their predicaments. "So, which way should we be heading?" Cynder asked. Now that their guess of the city was a lot further away from where it was previously, it didn't take too long to find out where they should head off in search for Warfang.

"Well, considering that the earth rotates east to west, there is a good chance it's further west from us. So our best chances are if we head west." Once Spyro finished speaking, Cynder was dumbstruck by how Spyro could just think up a hypothesis like that. She knew Spyro was smart but it blew her away when she heard him guess that. It is so well thought out.

"Oh, ok." Cynder answered quietly. "Spyro, where did you gather all your knowledge from?" Cynder asked as they still walked the rim of the lake. She knew he grew up far from the dragon city but wasn't informed where. She still didn't know how Sparx was Spyro's… brother.

"Um, well, it's a long story. I'll tell you later, will that be ok, Cynder?" Spyro asked and Cynder just gave him a loving smile.

"Sure, Spyro." She replied.

"Ok, so are you ready to begin our trip back home? We should have a whole day of flying since the light from the sun is still a red on the horizon." Once Spyro finished, he expanded his wings, getting ready for the long flight home to the dragon city. However, Cynder felt differently. When the purple mentioned _red_ and _light_, she instantly realized that they had forgotten their red spirit gem at the entrance of the cave when they exited out.

"OH! I almost forgot!" Cynder shouted, making the purple dragon jump a little by her tone of voice. She then turned around and jumped into the air, extended her wings and started to fly back to the volcano. Spyro was completely dumbstruck by how fast she took off but was confused to why.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Spyro shouted to the black dragoness.

"We forgot the red spirit gem!" She replied back.

"Oh, ok, wait for me." Spyro said and too jumped into the air and raced as fast as he could to catch up to the slender dragoness. It didn't take Spyro long to reach her considering he was a faster flyer than her. Nevertheless, once he did, he slowed his pace and they continued on their way back to the cave where they had exited out of the previous day.

After about a ten-minute flight up to the volcano, they finally reached the cave entrance, half way up the volcano. They then landed on all fours and began their search for the crystal.

"Found it!" Cynder hollered and ran all the way to the cave opening, about a meter from actually entering it. She then picked up the red gem with her tail, but as she looked back, she stared straight into the dark cave. She seemed to lose all trace of thought as she looked into it, but the sound of the purple dragon seemed to snap her out of her trance.

"Anything wrong, Cynder?" Spyro asked and slowly walked up to the black dragoness and brushed his right flank against her left, causing her to grin a little.

"Oh, nothing. Do you think we'll ever see the peaceful clusters of spirit gems again?" Cynder asked to the purple dragon curiously. After all the years on the dark side, destroying the spirit gems to give The Dark Master an advantage to complete his quest, she had never seen such a vast group of crystals in one place before.

"I don't know. I guess we could always come back, but our problem then is getting inside after the earthquake blocked the entrance. However, I'm sure we could one day." Spyro spoke, knowing his answer was what the black dragoness was asking for.

"That would be wonderful! It was so peaceful there. I was so worried if we would ever escape but when we came across the cave. I felt like we didn't need to worry about anything. Kinda like it was telling us we'll soon be out." Cynder said, thinking back to the moment.

"Once we entered it, I thought it was the perfect place to say I love you and I was just about to until the earthquake hit." Spyro said, letting the black dragoness know that he wanted to tell her earlier. Cynder smiled when she thought back when the purple dragon approached her looking a little scared and speaking in a timid voice. Now she knew why he was, what he was about to do.

"Aww, really?" Cynder asked. Spyro just gave a firm nod to her question with a small grin across his features. After a few more moments of looking into the dark, endless cave, daydreaming about the breathtaking scenery inside, the two dragons finally were ready to start their journey back to the great dragon city they known as Warfang. Spyro and Cynder then walked to the edge of the cliff they were on and again, both dragons expanded their wings, ready to take flight.

"Ready again, Cynder?" Spyro asked, looking to his left at the black dragoness.

"Ready, Spyro." She answered. Once the words escaped her muzzle, they both took off in unison and soared over the morning sky but with ease. As they gained height, they hardly had to flap as the morning wind currents lifted them up higher in the sky.

The two dragons reached a comfortable height several hundred meters above the lands. Their heads constantly moved all over, taking in the magnificent view and scenery. The grounds below them had great colors and new growth as if the ancestors had repainted the whole earth, showing the new life it had to offer. They saw vast meadows of lush green grass and eating it were large herds of deer and other large animals that both dragons had never seen nor heard about. Large winding rivers that stretched through the lands brought moisture to the plants and vegetation. Moreover, flocks of different kinds of birds soared in the air from only feet away from the ground to where the two dragons were flying. Everything they saw was truly amazing, everything Spyro had risked his life for. From the rivers that the sun shined on, to the cirrusclouds that were at the top of the sky, everything Spyro had saved.

"Spyro… look at this. You save everything. None of this would be here if it wasn't for you." Cynder said in awe by the wonderful sight.

"No, Cynder. We saved it. I couldn't have done it without you. I would have more likely given in to Malefor if you weren't by my side, to show me that there is always something to fight for. Thank you." Spyro finished as he looked and smiled at the black dragoness. Cynder smiled back when her purple companion said that she was the only way he could save the world. Her mind leaped for joy that he cared for her so much, the same way she cared about him. She didn't even need to mutter a word for the purple dragon to know that she appreciated the complement, which made him happy inside.

After about an hour of flying, Cynder noticed some stratus clouds started to appear from underneath them and instantly an idea started to form in her mind.

"Spyro, do you know what it's like to fly into a cloud?" Cynder asked.

"Uh, no. Do you?" Spyro replied back, not sure what the black dragoness was talking about.

"Nope! But let's go find out right know." She answered, hoping Spyro would feel the same way and join her.

"Um, ok." Spyro finished and immediately Cynder did a barrel roll and dove straight to the light fluffy cloud below her. It didn't take long for Spyro to proceed and he too dove toward the floating cloud. But just when Spyro was about to catch up the slender dragoness, she vanished as the cloud consumed her completely. However, he didn't enter the cloud yet. He then slowed to a hover, searching for the black dragoness but with no success.

After several minutes and no sight of Cynder, Spyro started to get a little worried. He continued to look over the cloud but now his worry turned into a small panic.

"Cynder, where are you?" Spyro hollered, but he had no response. Then, out of nowhere, a paw came out of the cloud, grabbed Spyro's right forepaw, and yanked him into the dense cloud. He gave a startled yelp by the sudden grab, but before he started to fight back by a possible enemy, he then got a glimpse of the attacker and realized that it was Cynder who was the cause of the grabbing. They hovered in place for a few seconds before Cynder broke the silence.

"There you are." Cynder said in relief. "You were fallowing me but then I couldn't find you."

"Sorry, Cynder. I didn't know where you were aft-." He suddenly was cut short when Cynder pressed a claw against his muzzle.

"No need to explain, I understand." The black dragoness said with a small loving grin that showed on her muzzle. Spyro was introduced by her smile and provided one back at her.

"Anyway, Spyro. Come feel this." Cynder finished and continued to fly through the thick cloud. Spyro fallowed right behind her until he realized what the dragoness was talking about. As he flew, he felt the moisture from the cloud collect on his body and run down the full length. Within seconds, he was covered in a coat of water that seemed to sooth him and cool off his body from the hot sun. Each time he would breathe in, the moisture would enter his body, which surprisingly calmed him until he was at complete ease.

Spyro was only a few meters away from the black dragoness but the cloud was so thick, he couldn't see her flying. Nonetheless, he seemed to know exactly where she was. Every turn she made he knew and still followed. After a few more minutes fallowing behind the black dragoness, Spyro then flew a little faster to catch up until he was beside her. Once the purple dragon was next to her, Cynder looked to her right and could tell that he was enjoying the experience of flying through a cloud, something she knew he had never done before just by his expression and the grin on his muzzle.

"So, you enjoying this?" Cynder asked. Already knowing the answer but wanted him to say it.

"This is amazing, Cynder." Spyro said with excitement. "All my years of staring at the clouds, wishing to know what it's like to fly through it, but now I'm actually doing it. And even when I did fly as high as the clouds when I was younger, I never went through them, I always went around."

"Well now you did both." Cynder spoke with a small smile and Spyro did the same.

After another minute of flying through the clouds, the two dragons finally broke out of it and descended closer to the ground. They slowly fell until they were about a hundred meters away and maintained that height for a lot longer.

Two more hours past and the sun was at its highest. They both started to tire out from the constant flight so they then decided to stop and locate a comfortable spot to rest for the day.

"How 'bout that spot over there?" Cynder said while pointing a talon down to the ground. Where she pointed at was a decent location for the two. Like the previous location, this one also had a river that ran through it but a lot more rapid than the calm lake they swam in. To the north of the river was a dense forest with different varieties of trees and shrubs, a lot more than the last one. And to the south of the river was a vast valley full of tall grass and different kinds of animals in all sizes roamed the land. It was an ideal place for two young dragons to stay for the day, enjoy the scenery, and possibly catch another decent meal.

"Yeah, that's a nice spot. Although, I don't care where we go, as long as I'm with you, I'll be happy." Spyro replied. He smiled at the black dragoness in a goofy way, just happy to have her. Cynder blushed a little by the purple dragon's remark, thrilled to have him in her life, to save her from evil.

"You sure know how to win a girl's heart by saying that, Spyro." She spoke with a smile across her features. Cynder then flew closer to Spyro until she was flying on top of him. She then slowly descended until her body was just about to touch his, flapping her wings in unison with the purple dragon. Finally, the black dragoness bent her head until she was inches away from his.

"And I like that in you." Cynder whispered into his ear, making the purple dragon's smile grow even wider, hers included. Once Cynder finished, she then manoeuvred into a barrel roll and started to dive towards the ground. Spyro had a feeling she was going to do that and he did the same almost at the exact time as she did. Cynder was caught off guard when the purple dragon was still very close to her despite her tricky move but nonetheless, she was glad that he was starting to know her more than ever now.

"I see you're catching on very well." Cynder called as she slowly dove down to their new resting place.

"Yeah, well it takes a while to study you since you like to play hard to get. But I think I mastered you now." Spyro said back in a playful way.

"Oh really?" Cynder questioned sarcastically.

"Yep."

"Well, I'll be the judge of that." Cynder replied with a sneaky grin that tugged on the side of her muzzle. Then, without warning, Cynder dove in a complete dive straight to the river below, hoping the purple dragon would follow. To her luck, Spyro did catch on and followed the black dragoness down to the ground. He did not have a clue on what she was trying to prove but nonetheless, he went with it as whatever it was, he could succeed in beating her.

They were closing to the earth fast and at the last second, Cynder gave one mighty flap of her wings, slowing her fall to a standstill and used her front paws to break the rest of the drop. And as always, Spyro was right behind her and mimicked the same as she did. Once he was on the ground, Spyro took a sigh in relief as he finally was off his wings; he could now let them rest. He then took off after the black dragoness, finally able to use his legs and not his wings but very confused about what she was really doing. Spyro didn't really know so he continued on and hoped he soon would have an answer to what was going on with Cynder.

"Cynder, what are you doing?" Spyro shouted at length. "I don't think this is the time, Cynder, can you hear me?" Spyro asked, but the black dragoness didn't pay attention to the purple dragon, not even slowing down a little. Spyro was so confused as to what Cynder was doing, or trying to do.

He didn't _know_…

However, just when Spyro was about to catch up to the black dragoness, she immediately dove into the ground and vanished completely. Her only trace was a black aura floating in the air where she just was. Spyro skidded to a stop, shocked that she had vanished. Immediately, Spyro knew what her plan was, and he was about to run out of the way. But just when he was about to run away, Cynder emerged from the ground in a black cloud of energy, scaring the purple dragon half to death. She jumped out a few feet off the ground and then tackled her purple friend, pinning him firmly on his back. All four of her paws were pressing on his and even her tail blade was pinning his to the ground, restricting him from all movement.

Spyro stared at Cynder with a wide-eyed expression, feeling dumb for literally running into her trap, the proof she needed. All Cynder could do was smile wide at her companion. The look on his features told it all.

"Gotcha!" Cynder said playfully.

"Ok, you got me." Spyro admitted.

"And?" Cynder said in length while looking away.

"And there's still some things I don't know about you… yet." Spyro finished as a smirk appeared on his muzzle.

"Thank you." Cynder spoke. Once she finished, she then brought her head closer to Spyro and gave him a kiss on the neck. Then she released Spyro and started to get off him. Spyro felt his body warm up by Cynder's kind act, and he stayed in the same position for several seconds. His tail twitched and he felt a cooling sensation go through his entire body, a feeling he loved that started the day before.

Eventually, Spyro rolled to his stomach and rose to his paws. He then walked over to the black dragoness on her left and draped a friendly wing around her flank; Cynder smiled when he did so.

"Where to now, Cynder?" Spyro asked as he stared into Cynder's emerald eyes.

"How 'bout the river?" Cynder answered. She then started her way south to the river with Spyro following close to her with his wing still wrapped around the black dragoness.

Once they reached the river, Spyro retracted his wing from Cynder and walked to the edge of the river to get a drink. Cynder let the purple dragon walk ahead of her and once she wasn't in his view, Cynder stopped in her tracks until she was completely behind the purple dragon. Spyro continued to walk towards the river, wondering a little why Cynder was falling behind him but nonetheless, he was unaware of what the black dragoness was doing behind him.

Cynder waited for the right moment with a plan forming in her mind. Her tail twitched rapidly and a smirk formed around her muzzle from excitement by what she was going to do. Spyro was probably going to hate her for this but she knew how he could forgive her. She couldn't pass the opportunity and it was going to be worth it to see the expression on his features. Cynder waited several long seconds for the right moment, but just when she thought the time would never come, Spyro lowered his head to the edge of the river and proceeded to drink the cool, refreshing liquid.

Now this was Cynder's chance. Spyro was completely unaware of her plan, what she was going to do. The black dragoness stared at him for a little longer, making sure he was focused on what lay in front of him and not behind him. All seemed to be clear to Cynder's view, but she didn't notice a small smirk that started to form on the purple dragon's muzzle.

Finally, Cynder found her time, and she ran as fast as her legs would carry her towards the supposedly unaware dragon. All was going to plan until, just before she was about to tackle him into the flowing river, Spyro sidestepped out of her way. Cynder went wide-eyed when she saw the purple dragon move out of her way, surprisingly knowing her trick. She then tried to stop but it was too late and she ran straight into the river yelling at the top of her lungs in surprise. She then entered the water with a big _splash._

Once the black dragoness surfaced, Spyro couldn't help but point a talon at the wet dragoness and laugh as hard as he could that her plan had backfired. Cynder glared at the purple dragon with a somewhat evil look that showed on her features, disappointed that her plan had been foiled and she was the one taking a dip in the river.

_How did he know? How could he tell that I was trying to push him in and prove that there is still more he doesn't know about me? Does Spyro know me that well? _Cynder question in her mind. She couldn't believe what had just happened. A plan so ingenious went completely wrong. Was this her karma for using her shadow on him or did he see her sneaking up on him when she wasn't looking?

"Stop laughing!" Cynder demanded. "You're supposed to be in here, not me!" Cynder still maintained her evil glare at the purple dragon but he didn't care. He was laughing so hard that he nearly fell in the river but was able to catch his footing before he did. Cynder waited a few seconds for him to finish but maintained a heavy glare at Spyro.

"How did you know I was going to push you in?" Cynder asked, now with a confused look across her features.

"Well, you caught me off guard when you used your shadow on me but I know you well enough that you couldn't pass up an opportunity like that." Spyro explained to the black dragoness with a smile on his muzzle.

"Ok, you win, you know me more than I thought." Cynder admitted, but sounding a little timid as if she didn't want to say those words. Nevertheless, she proceeded on. Spyro's smile grew a little wider and after a few seconds, he spoke again.

"Come on, let me help you out." Spyro said politely. He then walked a little closer to the river that had a small incline to the edge of the water. He had to sidestep down the small slant to get his balance so he wouldn't fall in himself. Once he was close enough, he extended his right paw out over the river and waited for the approaching black dragoness that swam her way back. Cynder took her time swimming back to the edge where Spyro was waiting to pull her out. She was still disappointed that her plan failed but she was also glad that Spyro knew her so well, which made her know that he truly loved her.

After about a minute of swimming, Cynder finally made it to the purple dragon with a smile on her muzzle from the thoughts of Spyro. Nevertheless, as soon as she reached him, her smile disappeared into a normal expression.

"Thank you, Spyro. You're so nice to me." Cynder said, making the purple dragon smile a little. Once his smile faded, the black dragoness reached her paw out and grabbed Spyro's. But before he could pull her out, Cynder's sneaky smirk returned. Spyro's friendly smile disintegrated when he saw her expression and immediately his thoughts turned into worry. He tried to pull his paw away but Cynder had a firm grip and with one quick yank, she managed to pull Spyro completely into the river with her. Spyro gave a startled yelp in surprise as he plunged muzzle first into the clear, soothing river, creating a massive _splash._

Once the purple dragon surfaced, he caught sight of Cynder and gave her a mean scowl. Now it was the black dragoness's time to laugh.

"Yeah, you enjoy it now." Spyro said sarcastically.

"Ha-ha, I'm sorry, Spyro. You had it coming." Cynder said in between laughs. Spyro stared at the dragoness and then turned around and started to swim back to shore, leaving Cynder behind.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Cynder shouted. She then used her wings to push her body through the water to catch up to the purple dragon. She caught up to Spyro in an instant**. **Once she did, she swam in front of him and kissed him on the corner of his muzzle. Spyro just stared at the black dragoness with a blank expression and Cynder just smiled.

"All is forgotten?" Cynder asked.

"Yeah, sure." He replied with a small grin. They both continued to swim to the riverbank. Once they reached it, Cynder was the first to start climbing out. With the help of Spyro pushing her, she managed to get back on dry land with ease and Spyro proceeded on his own.

Finally, they were out of the river. Once they shook themselves off, they then continued to walk further down the river but along the tree line of the forest. They walked on the north side of the river, heading west to the resting spot they had located from the sky. As they were walking, Cynder was about three meters away from the purple dragon, but to Spyro, something didn't settle just right. He had tightness in his stomach and his mind started to wonder by this uneasy feeling.

"C-Cynder?" Spyro stuttered.

"Yes, Spyro?" She asked back, sounding calm.

"I-I don't have a good feeling about this, I feel like something's going to happen." Spyro protested.

"What! Don't be silly, Spyro."

"I just don't feel right." Spyro said back, getting worried about what was going on with him.

"I'm sure it's just nerves from the past, you'll be ok. Let's just finish our path to our location." Cynder replied, trying to perk up the purple dragon who for some reason felt something was to happen. However, Spyro didn't buy it. Something was not right and he was going to find out what.

The two dragons continued their walk for several more long minutes. Even though it would have been faster to fly to their destination, their wings were still tired from the half-day flight. Cynder still maintained a three or four meter lead ahead of Spyro, which made him more uneasy. It was to the point that Spyro looked to his front right and he saw a thick shrub sticking out of the tree line about a meter or so. Spyro stared at it as they walked closer to it with a clueless appearance.

Then, out of nowhere, Spyro snapped his eyes shut tight and a picture came into focus but was black and white in his mind. Spyro saw three hideous creatures come out of the bush he was staring at a few seconds ago. Two had tiny clubs in their hands but the third in the middle was taller and had a crossbow in his hand, loaded and ready to kill. Spyro watched helplessly as the archer gave a horrifying yell and shot his arrow, hitting the black dragoness in the right flank, killing her instantaneously. The purple dragon wanted to yell as his dragoness was shot dead but he couldn't. Then immediately, Spyro snapped out of his vision and everything went back into color. Then he made eye contact with the black dragoness a few meters in front of him, still walking and as happy as can be. It was then Spyro realized that his vision had to have been a message. Spyro was confused by what went through his head; he wanted to think about it more but was on edge by it.

He then looked back to the strange shrub and then he noticed movement in between the branches. Spyro's eyes widened, as he knew what was beyond the bush. His heart raced from what was going to happen. He then ran as fast as he could over to the unaware black dragoness, hoping to catch her in time.

"CYNDER!" Spyro shouted at the top of his lungs. "Archer! Look out!" He hollered and as soon as he finished, two small grublins with tiny clubs in their hands came out of the shrub followed by a larger one with a crossbow in his hand, cocked and ready to fire. Cynder heard the purple dragon shout and it startled her from what he was hollering about. The word _archer_ scared her. She then started to turn around to face him but just before she rotated all the way around, Spyro tackled her full force. As soon as he did, he was able to push Cynder out of the way from a speeding arrow that whizzed by, barley missing Spyro and going into the river where it floated away. The force from Spyro knocked them both tumbling over each other for a good ten feet until they came to rest only feet away from each other.

The two dragons immediately jumped to their feet and set an evil glare on the intruders. But it was at this point Cynder looked at the purple dragon with a now confused look across her features. Spyro didn't even meet her gaze, his sight firmly locked on the creatures that tried to kill his dragoness.

"Spyro, how did you kno-." She was suddenly cut short when Spyro cut in.

"Not now, Cynder." Spyro said with anger in his tone. "I don't know why there are grublins here but I'll make sure they'll regret their decision of trying to kill you. Just wait for my signal." Spyro finished as his voice darkened as he continued talking. Cynder was a little frightened by his tone but nonetheless she pushed it to the side, got back into her fighting stance, and waited for their move.

The two dragons waited for the right time to attack. They both snarled and showed their teeth at the three intruders. Spyro seemed more intimidating than Cynder. He crouched down very low to the ground, he clamped down on his teeth as hard as he could, he dug his claws far into the ground, and he made a deep growl that exited from the back of his throat, Something Cynder never saw in him in a long time.

Finally, after a near minute of staring down at each other, the grublins charged straight for the dragons with weapons raised high above their heads, ready to strike. Cynder looked at the purple dragon to see why he hadn't given the sign to attack. He just stood there, waiting. It was at this point where the archer reloaded his crossbow and started to aim at the two dragons, but Spyro still stood in place. A split second later and the creatures were now only a dozen meters away and closing fast, Cynder was just about to say something but bit her tongue for a little longer. However, she didn't need to wait much longer before Spyro hollered out.

"NOW!" He shouted as loud as he could. As soon as he said it, the two dragons rolled out of the way on opposite sides from each other just in time before a speeding arrow shot by where they were at a split second ago. Once they both rolled back to their feet, a small grublin ran to each of them. Spyro ran to it immediately and met up with the grublin very quickly, and as soon as he did, he dodged the grublin's club but only by a few inches. He then whirled around and knocked the club out of its boney hands with his tail. Now that the grublin was defenceless, Spyro then raked his talons across the creature's chest, creating three deep gashes. It hollered in pain as loud as it could, but it wasn't giving up just yet. It then ran at the purple dragon for one more attempt, but as soon as it reached the purple dragon, Spyro drove his tail-blade into the grublin's stomach, killing it instantly. Spyro retracted his tail from the grublin and it fell dead to the ground. He then took a sigh as one was no longer there but his session soon was interrupted when another cry from a grublin pierced his ears.

Cynder dodged as the grublin's club whizzed past her right flank, nearly hitting her head on. The grublin was determined to hit her no matter what and kept coming repeatedly, despite Cynder's skill to maneuver around with ease to escape from harm, it was quite a challenge to keep dodging the creature's attempts. After a whole minute of dodging, Cynder had a breakthrough; she finally set a distance between her and the grublin, and now she could attack. Cynder then focused hard as red energy licked the edges of her muzzle. She focused even harder until she had a ball of pure fear energy formed in her muzzle. She then released her power and it covered the whole grublin in a haze of fear; it couldn't escape. Now that it was captured in her attack, Cynder ran up to the grublin and clamped her jaws onto its neck. She gave one good twist and there was a loud _pop,_ the sound of an ending life from the grublin. Now that Cynder killed the grublin, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves a little. Once she finished she saw Spyro run up to her.

"You ok?" Spyro asked. Cynder gave the purple dragon a firm nod in agreement.

"Ok, just one more." Spyro replied. Once he finished they both looked at the archer who was standing only meters away. Spyro and Cynder growled at the creature, trying to be as intimidating as they could. The archer stared at the two dragons with a determined look, a look for blood and lots of it. The figure gave an ear-shattering roar, then jumped high in the air and shot several arrows with a dark power surrounding it at the dragons, but the two dragons dodged every one with ease. Once the creature was back on the ground, Spyro gave a nod at Cynder and they both ran full speed at it with one of their elements building up in the back of their throats.

They ran a little closer and then, once they were close enough, they stopped and Spyro released a scorching hot stream of fire and Cynder breathed a steady stream of wind. They moved in a little closer until their powers collided with each other and created a tornado of fire, something they had never done before. The archer never saw it coming and it was engulfed in flames by their combined power. It hollered out in pain, as it had no escape, no way out.

It was being burned alive.

Despite its cries, Spyro and Cynder maintained their constant abilities for several more seconds. They weren't giving the creature a break nor a second chance. They both wanted it dead for good. Every time it tried to move out of their attack, the two dragons would follow it to the point where it was in flames all the time. But after a few more slow seconds, everything went silent from the sound of its cries. The archer was now dead. Spyro and Cynder ceased their attack and walked to it and they confirmed it was now dead by literally roasting it to death. The fight was now over and the two dragons could breathe again. They both stared at the spot where they created such a unique skill. The grass was charred and in the middle laid the body of the archer.

"Cynder, are you ok?" Spyro asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." Cynder said rather loud. "But Spyro, how did you know they were there? And why were they here? I thought it w-." Spyro suddenly cut her short.

"I don't know, but we should leave here in case there are more of them." Spyro finished and started to walk away. But Cynder didn't like the idea of leaving with questions unanswered. She then ran in front of the purple dragon and stopped making him halt dead in his tracks.

"Spyro, I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what happened." Cynder said firmly as she looked straight into his eyes, hoping he would see in hers that she really wanted to know. Spyro sighed and then thought back to what he saw earlier.

"How did you know there were grublins and how did you know one was going to shoot me?" Cynder asked, but a little confused on how he knew.

"I-I don't know." Spyro stuttered. He himself couldn't find an answer to his knowing. _Was this just instinct or was it far greater than that? But how was I able to picture it so accurate and clear? And all I saw in my mind would happen if I didn't act. Cynder would have been… dead if it didn't happen. What does this mean? _Spyro thought. He couldn't find out why or how this happened.

"I-I just had a vision that flashed in my mind. I can't quite explain it but I saw three grublins come out of that bush, but as soon as I saw the archer…" Spyro froze when he was about to cite his companion's death.

"Spyro, what happened? Please tell me." Cynder asked as the purple dragon's eyes started to tear.

"By the time I saw the archer… it shot an arrow and killed you." Spyro finished and hung his head from what could have happened. The thought weighed heavily on the purple dragon's shoulders. He couldn't believe what he saw in his mind actually happened, and if he hadn't acted quick enough, Cynder would have perished. Cynder was shocked when he heard the purple dragon say she would have died if he had not seen whatever he saw. Cynder then moved in closer to him and brushed her head against his.

"It's ok, Spyro. I'm here and no one will ever take my life away from you, I won't allow it." Cynder stated in attempted to cheer up the purple dragon. Spyro then rose his head back up to look at his dragoness.

"Thanks, Cynder, I'm so glad to have you in my life." Spyro replied cracking a smile. "But what do you think this means? I for one know this wasn't just coincidence, this had to be something far greater than that."

"I agree. Maybe this is something we could ask the guardians when we do return." Cynder suggested.

"I couldn't agree more." Spyro replied.

"But Spyro… how is there still grublins if it's a new age?" Cynder asked the purple dragon with confusion.

"I don't know. The Chronicler said there is no evil when a new age occurs." Spyro was also confused. The Chronicler said there is no evil when a new age comes fourth, so how is there still grublins? Is it not a new age or is it just a few of what's left of Malefor's army? Spyro just couldn't wrap his mind around what it could be. But then he thought back to what Ignitus said a few days ago, that the war was far from over. Now it was clear to him that Ignitus was indeed telling the truth. Spyro had important information from the new chronicler but he didn't want to tell Cynder just yet, he didn't want to see her worried.

"Maybe it's still a new age. There just might be a few grublins here and there but soon will decrease." Cynder explained, hoping her theory was correct.

"I hope you're right, Cynder. I hope you're right." Spyro replied. Even though he already had an idea of the answer, he didn't want to tell her just yet until they returned to Warfang. He didn't want her scared. Once he finished, he then smiled at the black dragoness and walked around to her left side. He then wrapped his right wing around her and they both continued to walk to the west in search for their place to stay for the rest of the day and the night. But then, all of a sudden, Spyro heard a faint voice in his head, he couldn't make out the owner but it kind of sounded like the new Chronicler. However, it was so faint Spyro just ignored it and continued on.

***.*.***

A pale blue dragon sat down in front of a mighty hourglass fairly close with several books surrounding him on each side. However, he had a book already open and in front of him, floating in mid air just under his head. A smile spread across his muzzle when he looked at the picture of a young purple dragon with his wing around a young black dragoness.

"Oh young Spyro. Your love for Cynder is far more powerful than you think. Acknowledge it to unlock hidden powers; it's the only way to survive in this upcoming war. You fought some random grublins and now you know my prediction is true. This war will resurrect and it will require every ability you and Cynder have, including your new hidden power. Find it, master it, and stop this war for good. You still have plenty of time."

Ignitus spoke in a speech, knowing the young dragon would hear him and soon make out his thoughts. Once he finished, he closed Spyro's book and it floated off and went back to the bookcase. Just when that book left, another book came. This book was mostly light black with a blue border around it. Once it stopped at the blue dragon, it opened up and flipped to a certain page. Ignitus chuckled a little when he saw the dragon this book was about.

"Now, let's check up on you, Zackary." Ignitus smiled as he read the young black dragon's book.

* * *

><p><strong>OH NO! GRUBLINS! D:) AHHHHHHhhhhhh!...<strong>

**Sooo, whatcha think? Please let me know be reviewing it or by sending me a PM. I reply ASAP, I'm on it everyday. ;D**

**Anyway, again, last chapter til the 28th. D: Sorry. So, guess that's it, see ya. ;)**

**Til next time.  
>This is GP-38, finished updating this story til the 28th.<strong>


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey! Look! I'm back from the dead. XP Sorry for this SUPER LONG break! D:) But I REALLY needed it. Even though I didn't get as many chapters done as I'd hoped for, I did get some. And I also just got back from a week long Boy Scout summer camp about 7 hours ago so... couldn't do any story there, or update. D:**

**Ok, I had a bit of trubble with this chapter D: I don't know why, I'm pretty good at coming up with ideas with these events but I guess I couldn't keep the thoughts flowing. So this is a filter chapter. **

**Now I will inform you all that in about two months I will take another break like this because I seemed to write better...ish (Even though this chapter didn't go with plan) and I need a break from time to time. I don't know if it will be six weeks again but it will be at least a month, I'm looking at November or so. But in the mean time, I hope I can update within two weeks each chapter til then. I'll try. **

**So enough of this long message, on with the chapter. :D**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5<p>

A lone black dragon sat on his haunches looking far out of the cave he was in. He didn't care to do anything but look at the amazing scenery that lay ahead of him. It seemed to ease him by its winding blue rivers and its tall lush trees; another thing that soothed him from agony. However, it wasn't enough. As for his former nightmare, it terrified him to the point that he didn't even want to spend time with his elder brother and talk about his late-night ordeal. Nevertheless, the black dragon tried hard to stay at ease from the previous night, no distractions and no annoying brother to pester him about his nightmare. But just when he thought he could forget about it, he heard footsteps from inside the cave and coming closer.

"Come on Zack, you have been sitting in the same spot all day now. Why don't we fly to the river and talk this out?" the older red dragon asked.

"Singe, leave me alone. I don't want to go to the river, I like it here. And I don't want to talk about it with you!" the black dragon said with anger as his voice grew louder as he progressed on.

"Zack, why won't you open up to me? I am your older brother, my job is to answer your questions, be there when you need it the most, and talk out your issues. It's bothering you and I can help, I don't like to see you scared," Singe questioned. Out of all the tragic things he and his brother went through, he had never seen his younger brother this depressed since the day they were separated from the rest of their family. It worried him that he wouldn't tell him.

"I'm not scared!" Zackary shouted.

"Well, you were last night." Singe added in. Zackary glared at his brother by his remark. He knew he was right but he didn't want him to bring it up.

"Ok, yes, I was. But not now, so please leave me alone. I don't want to talk about it and I don't want to hang out with you. I'm sorry," Zackary stated somewhat angrily. He tried not to full-out yell at his brother for wanting space, however, it seemed harsh in the way he spoke. Singe didn't flinch by his brother's anger. He just stared calmly at the black dragon**,** his sights facing the outside. For once he actually knew what he was going through when he was his age. Although, he never dreamt about meeting the legendary purple dragon and almost getting killed by…_Cynder_.

"I understand how you feel right know. I felt the same way when, well… you know," Singe spoke quietly. He didn't want to say the words of what he and his brother went through in the separation of their family; it would only succeed in upsetting him even more. Zackary nodded, still not making eye contacted with his brother but knew what he was talking about.

"But I'm sorry, I am not leaving you. I don't care how mad you get; I'm staying here with you," The red dragon declared

"And if I move?" Zackary questioned.

"You know I'll follow you," Singe answered. Zackary then took a sigh, as he knew his brother was stubborn enough to do such a thing. He had no choice but to let him stay.

The black dragon didn't utter a word; he just kept his sight outside the cave entrance. Singe knew this was his way of letting it slide**. **Even though he would have liked to have a simple yes or no, he passed it on. He then walked over to his younger brother and sat right next to him, no more than a few feet away. But again, Zackary still didn't even gaze at the older dragon, still staring at the open with a blank expression across his features. However, Singe could tell that he didn't like his present that close to him.

Several long and speechless minutes went by and both dragons hadn't even looked at each other. Now Singe started to become worried about his brother. He knew he had to get this off his brother's mind but he didn't know what activity they could do for it to succeed. Nevertheless, there was one thing Zackary loved the most; something that can get anything off his mind, something he is very good at and it might just work. Singe then opened his mouth to say something but just when he was about to ask his brother, he hesitated from the thought that he might get even angrier. But after a few seconds, he finally spoke, hoping his brother was in the mood to agree.

"Hey, Zack." Singe said, surprising the black dragon a little. "Let's go play Geetin. You're great at that game and I'm sure it'll get your mind off of… well, you know. Come on, Zack, let's go," the red dragon announced as he shot up to his feet, ready to go and hoping that his brother was up for it.

The black dragon was caught off guard when his elder brother mentioned his favorite game. Something he was better than his older and more athletic brother, no one could beat him in a game of Geetin. Zackary thought about it for a few minutes and finally, the black dragon looked up and made eye contact with Singe but still didn't say anything for a little while.

"Singe, I really don't want to do anything right now. So please stop asking me stuff we can do that you think could get this off my mind. I just need to think it through." Zackary replied as he turned his back to his brother.

Once his brother finished speaking, Singe became furious at his younger brother for turning his back on him. Normally Singe would let him be but in this situation, he knew his brother would still feel depressed later on. He knew this was the only way for his brother to act like Zackary again, and he wasn't taking a _no_ for an answer this time

"Think it through? How can you think it through!" Singe shouted. "Zackary, you are my brother and I know you enough to say that you can't possibly think this through, no one can if in this situation," he remarked. Still Zackary didn't look at him. But nonetheless, he knew the red dragon was right. Thinking it through would just cause him more depression.

"Come on, you're playing Geetin with me whether if you like it or not," Singe declared. He then walked up behind his brother, bowed his head and firmly clamped his jaws on Zackary's tail. The black dragons' eyes widened in surprise when he felt pressure applied on his tail as his brother grabbed it. Immediately Zackary knew what he was going to do. He then dug his claws into the cave floor trying to prevent his brother from dragging him out. And just as he thought, his brother started to walk further out the cave.

"Let go of my tail!" Zackary demanded. "What are you doing? Get off!" Zackary hollered some more but his brother didn't listen. Singe continued to tug and drag his younger brother across the cave floor. Zackary kept clawing on the ground, trying as hard as he could to possibly win against his brother. But even as he tried, he knew he couldn't win, not against Singe.

"No, now would you stop resisting? I am trying to help you," Singe tried to speak with his brother's tail in his mouth.

"You can help me by letting go," the black dragon answered back.

"Nope."

Zackary took a long sigh in disappointment as his brother was acting so stubborn just for him to play a game. He couldn't understand how many years he wanted his older brother to do stuff with him but Singe was always unexciting. And now this time Zackary was the one unexciting and his elder brother wanted to do things with him. At this point, Zackary knew he was no match for his brother; he was going with Singe either way. Then the black dragon rolled his eyes and retracted his claws from the ground, allowing the red dragon to continue on with his tail in his jaws. Zackary had a disappointed look across his features and he held up his head with a talon as he was dragged across the floor, something he never liked his brother to do.

"You know I hate you right now," Zackary told his older brother. Singe just rolled his eyes when he heard his younger brother say those words, something he always said when his brother did something Zackary didn't like.

"No you don't, you're just mad that I'm actually helping you have fun," Singe answered but came out as a mumble; nevertheless, Zackary knew exactly what he said.

"And the fun begins when?" the black dragon asked sarcastically, still very annoyed with his brother.

"As soon as you help me and stop dragging your tail," the red dragon said angrily.

"I'm not dragging my tail; you're dragging me with my tail!" Zackary said back. Although he couldn't help but chuckle a little by his joke but managed to keep it quiet so Singe wouldn't hear him.

"Ha-ha, very funny. Look, I'll let go if you still follow me," Singe laughed sarcastically and then stopped when he finally reached the edge of the cave.

"Well, I really want to be alone but you seem eager to get whooped by me in Geetin so, I might play a little," Zackary said as he smiled at his brother, now feeling his normal self and ready to kick his brother's tail… again.

"Now that is the Zack I know," Singe said and finally released his brother's tail.

"So, you rather get beat in my game than leave me alone?" Zackary asked. He knew his brother cared for him but he didn't know that his older brother cared for him so much that he would do anything just to see him happy. Deep down Zackary felt loved, his meaning in life, and even though it was just his brother he didn't want Singe to notice what he felt so he was very good at hiding it.

"Any day, Zack. I care about you and I hate to see you depressed," Singe said with a smile to his brother. The black dragon smiled back. He had never heard his older brother say anything so nice to him. Even though they fought a lot, it was nice for him to hear the red dragon say something like that. "Besides, you're no fun when you are upset. I can't pick on you," Singe finished, hoping he would ruin the moment for his younger brother. To his effort, he did manage to spoil the moment as his brother glared at him with a mean scowl and his yellow glowing eyes staring directly at him.

"Why? Why is it every time you say something so nice to me that you never say before, you come up with something to ruin it?" Zackary asked with anger and annoyance in his tone, obviously mad at his brother's foolishness.

"Does it irk you?" Singe asked with a smile across his features.

"Uh, Yes!" Zackary answered but in a childish way.

"Good," the red dragon said with a firm nod.

"Good? How is that good?" Zackary questioned, somewhat demanding but also with confusion across his features.

"Because, I wouldn't be doing—." Singe was cut off when his younger brother rolled his eyes, caught on, and finished what he was saying.

"Doing my job, bla, bla, bla. I get it," the black dragon finished, exasperated.

"You catch on well," Singe replied with a goofy smirk.

"Yeah, yeah," Zackary said, as he looked away, not wanting to gaze at his annoying brother. However, he then turned around and lightly punched Singe with his talon on the red dragon's chest. "You're such a jerk."

"That may be true, but this jerk is your brother. So that makes you half jerk too," Singe answered, pushing his brother back lightly with his talon.

"Oh, shut up you idiot," Zackary finished and continued to the edge of the cave.

"That means the same thing." The red dragon hollered back.

"I said shut up!" This time Zackary hollered and after he did, Singe couldn't help but chuckle a little by his brother's remarks, the same way he was.

After their playful bickering, the two dragons extended their wings, pushed off the ledge of the cave, and flew off. They both ascended high above the land on their way to a vast field not too far away from their home cave. Both Singe and Zackary flew in silence, not saying a word or even looking at each other. Their minds were set further, beyond them. They were also distanced out a few meters, Zackary up in front.

After a few minutes of flying, the two dragons were closing in to their gaming field and they both started to descend down to it. Then after another minute, their paws finally touched the soft green grass. The field they landed on was large in size, about two hundred meters across. The grass seemed to be thick and very dark with no signs of weeds, but on each end were two large wooden poles sticking out of the ground with several wooden rods going edgeways all the way up and down the poles. The poles stood a good twenty meters or so and each rod was every five meters up.

"Wow, Singe. This place looks great," the black dragon said in awe. "It looks like it was never touched by the war." He pictured in his mind what the place looked like during the war, how much it was in ruins.

"You said it, Zack," the red dragon finished in as they both walked around the field. "Last time we played, there were huge boulders of molten rock and that was a few months ago. Now, it's like it never happened, I don't even think I've seen this place so nice." The two dragons walked the field, taking in the exquisite scenery. Once they finished, their minds were now focused on their game.

"Zack, go see if our game ball is still there. We can't play without it," Singe asked, hoping the disintegrating of the world didn't destroy their game ball.

"Alright, but I doubt it's there," Zackary hollered back as he started to run over to one of the tall poles on the left side of the field, to see if their special ball had survived.

"I hope it's there. That ball was specially made by our ancestors. If it's not there, than we would never be able to play this game again," Singe conceived.

"Alright Mr. Negative. Sheesh," Zackary breathed and continued on towards the poll.

I didn't take him long to reach the left goal of the field where they left the ball last, considering they were closer to it. But to his surprise, their ball was there, without a single trace of neglect. Zackary couldn't believe that it was there and it also looked almost like new. After their aggressive game play and the long desecrating war, he would have thought it would look a little ragged but there were no signs of damage.

"Holy crap!" The black dragon yelled in surprise and the sudden yell startled the red dragon a little.

"What, what is it? What's wrong!" Singe shouted a little startled by what his black brother was so excited or frightened about.

"Nothing, it's still here," Zackary answered back.

"Oh, well stop telling me about it and bring it here."

"Ah, shut up," Zackary replied angrily but said it in a mumble so his older brother couldn't hear him speak. After all was said and done, the black dragon grabbed the ball by a thick, long string that came from top of the ball with his tail and ran back to his brother.

Once he closed in the gap between them, Singe could finally catch a glimpse of the ball. He also was shocked by the condition it is in. It even looked better then the last time they played.

"Dang, it looks so… clean," Singe said in wonder.

"That's why I hollered," Zackary responded.

"Ok, so, do you remember the rules?" The red dragon asked. Zackary then gave his older brother a confused look to his question,something he thought was silly to ask a dragon who knew how to beat his older brother in something like the game he is so good at.

"What? Of course I know the rules. Singe, I own this game. Why would you think I'll forget the rules? It'd be like forgetting how to fly, impossible," Zackary answered with his voice raised high, still not sure why he asked such an odd question.

"Ok, ok. I was just checking. Jeez, you don't need to yell it out," Singe replied back but also with a firm tone, completely caught off guard by his younger brother's remark.

"Let's just play before I decide to head back to the cave," Zackary said, getting annoyed that they hadn't started yet.

"Alright. Two out of three," Singe stated.

"You're on," Zackary agreed.

Finally, they walked on the field to start the game. Zackary ran to the middle of the field with the ball dragging behind his tail. Once he reached the center, he placed the ball-like object on the ground and started to walk left of the field while his brother took off right. Once both dragons were about fifty meters away from the ball, they turned around and stared at each other with scowls across their features. They then crouched low to the ground with their wings held out high, making them look even more intimidating. They both stayed in the same position for a few moments, then Zackary gave a firm nod which Singe received and gave one back for his brother to know that he was also ready.

The black dragon saw his nod and as soon as he made his move, Singe followed at the same time. The two brothers raced as fast as their legs would carry them over to the ball, to see who would be the first to capture it. Since Singe was more muscular than his younger brother, he was able to beat Zackary to the ball. When he was a near five meters away, he shot a stream of fire at the ball until it was engulfed in flames. Shortly after, he discontinued his flame and what was left was a glowing red ball of his element. He then reached it and grabbed the long string that hanged out the top in his muzzle and took to the sky.

Zackary skidded to a halt as his brother whizzed right over his head on his way to the goal. Wasting no time, he too jumped into the air and raced to his brother. Even though his older brother had a bigger wingspan then his, he had tricks to slow him down. As soon as he caught up with his brother, he kept coming from the sides of Singe, in formation to veer him off course, but every time he did so, Singe would just dodge it.

Singe was closing to the goal and fast. Zackary had to do something for his brother not to score. The black dragon then realized he had one more chance to get the ball from his brother. Zackary then flapped his wings as hard as he could to get closer to his older brother. Now he was speeding toward him. In addition, once he was close enough, he released his element at the ball that dangled from underneath him, but just when his shadow fire was about to hit it, Singe barrel rolled to the right and Zackary's effort was wasted.

At this point, Zackary couldn't do anymore. It was too late; his brother was in range to score. The black dragon watched helplessly as his older brother closed in the gap from the poles that stuck out of the ground. He then stopped five meters away from the goal into a hover. Singe then dropped the ball from the string and kicked it with all four paws. The kick was enough to send the ball flying through the goal, causing him to win the first round.

"Yes, looks like I got the lead this time, Zack," Singe flew to his brother. After his cocky remark, both dragons landed back on the ground and faced eye to eye.

"You enjoy it now, Singe. I was just testing you. I guarantee this will be the last score you will get," Zackary finished as a sneaky smirk grew on his muzzle, trying to intimidate his older brother. Singe didn't even say a word. He just stared at his younger brother as he started to walk to the goal so he could retrieve the ball. By now, the ball had returned to its normal grayish brown self. He then grabbed the string with his tail and dragged it back to the center. It only took him a few minutes to reach to the middle of the field**.** As soon as he did, he placed the ball back in the middle and started to back away slowly.

Both brothers couldn't help but look up and stare into each other's eyes as they slowly backed up to their positions once again. They stared at each other as if they were going to kill, but deep down in them, they both knew it was just for fun.

This time, Zackary had a tricky smirk across his features. As of last goal his brother made, he actually let him score just so he would get cocky enough to think he could do it again. But in Zackary's mind, that was the best way to catch him off guard. That was always his trick. However, he always spaced his plan throughout games so his older brother wouldn't pick up his tricks.

Once again, both dragons gave a firm nod and took off running towards the ball. Just like the last time, Singe was able to reach the ball first. He then used his fire element to ignite the ball so he could claim it and carry it toward the goal. Once it had his element in it, he jumped into the air, flew very low to the ground, and grabbed the string with his claws. Once he had it in his claws, he then brought it to his muzzle where he could get a better grip on it, and then started to head to the goal. Zackary knew he was going to grab it before him so he slowed his pace while he let his brother take the ball. Once Singe had it, Zackary took to the air and headed directly toward his brother. Singe saw this and started to climb higher in the air in an attempt to lose his brother.

However, the black dragon knew what his plan was and he also climbed in height but kept his distance a little lower than his brother to make the red dragon think he had lost him. Just when they were about to fly by each other, Zackary shot straight up at his brother and then spat a beam of his shadow fire, which hit his target, then turned around and flew a meter or so underneath his brother. Singe was surprised that his brother hit the ball, and now his element was in the ball he had no choice but to let go of it. Once he did, Zackary was under him, waiting for him to release it, and as he did, Zackary caught it with his muzzle and dove down with a spin so he was heading to Singe's goal.

"Where the hell did he come from?" Singe questioned. He couldn't believe how tricky his younger brother was. Normally he couldn't think of smart moves like that but in his game, he was the best there is.

Singe was still shocked by how fast his younger brother moved, how he was able to fire at the specially designed ball and make his claim to it. The red dragon didn't waste any time and started to fly towards Zackary at an alarming rate, but the black dragon knew he was coming and fast. He tried to fly as fast as he could, banking side to side, climbing and descending, attempting to shake off his red brother. But no matter how hard he tried, Singe followed and was closing in fast.

At this point, Zackary was still a long ways away from scoring. He had to do something in order to shake his brother off or to stall him, but he didn't know what. But suddenly—as always—an idea hatched in his mind. He knew what to do, and it would work since he was a few hundred feet in the air, much higher than the goals. Then his devious smirk came again and formed across his features. Without warning, he suddenly let go and dropped the ball.

Singe flew only meters away from his brother**. **He thought he was able to catch him but suddenly, Zackary dropped it. The red dragon couldn't believe that his brother would drop the ball. Was he scared that Singe would catch him or was it some kind of trick? Singe didn't really know an answer but he took a chance and dove after it.

Zackary's smirk grew as he looked down and saw his older brother dive after the ball; his idea was going according to plan. He waited a few seconds and too dove to his brother. He had one wing tucked to his body and the other partially tucked in, causing him to barrel roll down so he wouldn't fall too fast.

At this point, Singe was closing on the ball with no sights of his younger brother. A smirk started to grow across his muzzle from the thought that Zackary bailed on it. When he was close enough, he started to charge his element so he could claim the ball, but just when he was about to release it, he felt something ram him on top of his back. But surprisingly, the blow didn't hurt. Singe held his element and tried to look to see what hit him but he feared who it was. He then got a glimpse of his attacker and saw it was Zackary practically standing on his back. Nevertheless, what actually scared the red dragon the most was the look across his features, and he instantly knew he had this planned out. The red dragon's expression hardened at the look of his brother's. He knew he was going to regret his choice of going after the ball.

Immediately, Zackary extended his wings a little more to give a little space between him and his brother, but before Singe could react, Zackary then snapped his wings and when he made contact with the red dragon, he kicked with all four paws and sent the older brother hurtling straight down to the ground. However, what he didn't know was he had kicked his brother in the head. Once his brother was out of the way, he then caught the ball again but this time with his tail and continued on to the goal. Now that he had fallen for so long, he was aligned with the goal.

Singe plunged towards the ground with great speeds. He couldn't recover from the attack because he was disorientated by what had happened. He couldn't tell which way was up or down. He was also dazed from when Zackary kicked him. He felt like his world was spinning. But little did he know, his world was actually spinning because he was corkscrewing as he fell. Singe's eyes were slowly starting to shut as Zackary's kick started to take its toll. The red dragon had only seconds to recover out of his fall but alas, he fully passed out and eventually collided with the grass-covered ground with a loud _thud…_

Zackary had a wide smile across his muzzle as his old plan had not failed him again. He was unsure why his older brother would fall for it every time he did it but that was the last thing he worried about. His plan worked and that was all he cared about. However, as the black dragon was flying to score a goal, something in his mind told him to look down. He wasn't sure what it was but nonetheless, he obeyed his command and looked to the ground directly under him. But what he saw sent a wave of fear throughout his body, his playful smile instantly turning upside-down when he made eye contacted with a familiar red figure laying motionless on the ground. The black dragon's wings locked while being fully extended out, causing him to hover in place. In addition, he immediately dropped the ball by the string causing it to hurtle to the ground at a rapid speed, just stunned by the sight of his brother.

"SINGE!" Zackary shouted at the top of his lungs.

Once he was able to control his wings and snap the rest of his body from a trance, he quickly snapped his wings against his body and dove as fast as he could to his older brother to see if he was ok. Zackary's heart raced rapidly as he tried to descend even faster than he was going. Unfortunately, he couldn't travel any faster in a dive than what he was going. For once in his life, he was hoping his brother was faking it, not really injured. But even if he was faking, Zackary would have killed his brother for scaring him.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Zackary extended his wings at the last seconds to slow his fall. Once he was at a steady hover and only a meter or so away from the ground, he snapped his wings back again and landed on his front paws first on the ground. Zackary didn't waste time and ran to his motionless brother.

"Singe, Singe! Are you ok? Answer me!" Zackary sobbed as tears started to form on the brim of his eyes, but he didn't receive an answer. When his older brother didn't reply back, Zackary started to become worried even more that he might have hurt him severely. The younger black dragon then hung over his brother's chest, but not too heavily, to make sure he still had a pulse.

To his relief, he did.

Zackary took a relieved sigh that his brother was still alive. Nevertheless, he was extremely concerned what was going to happen to him and if he had any life threatening injuries. Zackary lay next to his elder brother, continually shaking his body, trying to wake him but also trying not to aggravate any further injuries.

"Singe, please wake up. I'm so sorry, Singe, please wake up," Zackary cried. The expression on the young black dragon's features showed fear that he could have lost the last dragon from his family. And what made it worse, he would have been the cause of it. He couldn't think how he could live without his older brother, who was always there when he needed him, to always throw a comforting wing around him in time of need. And if he did wake up, would he be mad at his younger brother or would he even be the same? The black dragon didn't need to wait long because after only a few more minutes, the red dragon started to twitch his tail. Zackary immediately noticed the movement and an relieved grin formed on his muzzle. He then got off his brother but still stayed close, staring at him for any other movement. He didn't need to wait much longer before Singe's eyes started to move, the sight of his brother coming to sent a wave of joy and happiness through his body. Finally, after a long ten minutes, Singe started to awake from his torment.

"Wha...what happened? Where am I? Ho—" Zackary cut him short when Singe tried to raise his head but Zackary had a firm hold on him, trying to keep him put in case of possible injuries.

"Thank the ancestors you're alright," Zackary said in relief. "I'm so sorry, Singe."

"Sorry? Why are you sorry?" Singe asked in confusion. "Zack, why do you look so scared?" He didn't know what was going on or what his brother was so worried about. But what he couldn't figure out the most was where he was.

"Singe, I kicked you in the air. Don't you remember?" the black dragon asked worriedly.

"Remember what?" he said as he started to rise. "I feel fine, I—" Singe cut short his sentence when a tremor of pain flooded through his body and he collapsed muzzle first on the ground, which sent another wave of pain. "AHH!" Singe hollered, lying on the ground from the pain.

"What's wrong?" Zackary shouted back when he heard his brother holler.

"I-I don't know, my right forepaw feels like it has been whacked by one of those grublin hammer things." Singe then used his other paw to push himself up a little put still maintained in a laid-down position. Then, after he finished speaking, he could remember everything, as if the intense spike of pain triggered his memory.

"First of all, they're called clubs, second—" Zackary was cut off when his brother spoke in, startling him a little.

"Oh, now I remember. We were playing Geetin, and…" He trailed off a little. "And I fell for one of your tricks again," he finished, feeling stupid for falling for it every time.

"Well, I'm glad you're blaming yourself this time, but I'm so sorry Singe. I didn't mean to kick you that hard. I was just trying to set a gap between up so I could score. I—" The black dragon was cut off when his older brother waved a paw in front of him.

"Zack, it's alright. No need to apologize," Singe said in a very calm voice.

"Yo-you're not mad?"

"No, why would I be mad?" the red dragon asked.

"Well, for injuring you," Zackary answered.

"Shoot no!" Singe shouted, causing Zackary to jump back a little. "I'm actually impressed by your actions," the red sibling said with a smile across his features. The words his brother said shocked the young black dragon. He didn't understand why he would be pleased with hurting him.

"What? Why are you impressed that I hurt you? Singe. I could have killed you," Zackary said loudly. _What on earth would cause him to say… that? Did I hit him that hard? _Zackary was still confused why he would say those words.

"I am impressed because you saw that I was after you and you found a way to defend yourself," Singe responded.

"But Singe, we were playing Geetin, not practicing on our fighting skills," the black dragon protested.

"Yes, yes, but if you didn't do anything, I would have caught up to you and snatched the ball back. However, you used your smarts for once and found a way to lure me away and your plan worked. Unfortunately, you kicked me in a dire position and I had to pay for the consequences…But what I'm trying to say is, no matter what you do or where you are, you're always learning new moves, new ways to fight back in case of need. But have fun while doing it," Singe said. Even though his brother was the cause for his hurt forepaw, he didn't want him to feel bad for a simple mistake.

"Yeah well, but—. Hey, wait a minute," Zackary shouted as he remembered what his brother said about being smart for once. He then gave a mean looking glare to his brother but Singe just had a humorous smile across his muzzle when his younger brother realized what he said. Zackary wanted to say more to his brother about his mean remark but he let it slide when he saw the red dragon's goofy grin.

"Oh, I see, thanks," Zackary said while returning his brother's smile. "Now then, do you just want to lay there or would you want risk it and ask me to help you back to the cave?" Zackary asked curiously.

"Well, it's only my forepaw that hurts. I could fly back myself but the landing could be a little… painful," Singe replied. The red dragon then tried to stand up right but as soon as he applied pressure to his right paw, he gritted his teeth in pain and nearly fell over. Nevertheless, he was caught when his younger brother reacted fast and stopped his fall. Zackary glared at his brother with a confounded look across his features.

"Don't need help huh?" the black dragon remarked. Singe just rolled his eyes before he spoke.

"I said I don't need help for flying back, but I will need help getting up of course," he spoke to his black brother, trying to make his meaning clear in his words. Zackary just rolled his eyes and proceeded to help his elder brother rise to his feet. Although, it didn't seem hard for him to help, Singe practically did all the work. It was kind of like he just needed an extra leg to stand on and Zackary was the needed leg.

Once Singe was on his remanding three good legs, Zackary took a few steps back and released a small sigh as he hung his head.

"So, you're not mad at me?" Zackary spoke in a timid voice. He wasn't sure what his brother would say. He had every right to be angry at him. Zackary felt so bad that he had injured his only family, at this point; he didn't even want to be around him as he thought he might bring more misery to his brother. However, he knew if he were to leave Singe, it would hurt him even more.

"No, Zackary, I'm not mad at you. What you did was for fun but it turned a different way. It's all good," Singe said while giving his younger brother a nod of satisfaction. "However, I am still mad at you for body slamming me a few days ago," Singe added in.

"What! Would you just drop it, I had to do it to get you up," Zackary stated.

"Yeah, well, not today," Singe replied as he turned his head away from the black dragon.

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm still mad at you for stealing my deer leg," Zackary spat.

"Zack, that was ten years ago! I was only six years old, I was still learning… And how do you still remember that?"

"Old memories die hard or something like that," Zackary mumbled. "Anyway, do you want to head back home or do you want me to leave you because I could do that," Zackary asked sarcastically; he knew he could never leave his older brother behind. Even though they bicker about the oddest things, he still couldn't do much without him.

"Oh, whatever," Singe replied as he rolled his eyes again. "Ok, let's go," He finished. With the use of his remaining three legs, he pushed hard and jumped as high as he could, just high enough to get a couple flaps of his wings in, and was flying in the air with his injured right forepaw dangling down as if he had no feeling to it at all. Now that the red dragon was flying high in the sky, Zackary too jumped in the air, caught up with his older brother, and continued their way back to their cave home.

The two brothers flew side-by-side as they slowly gained height on their way back. However, even though Singe only had a hurt forepaw, he also had a hard time flying. Zackary had to slow down dramatically when he noticed his brother slacking back, now the black dragon started to worry even more about his older brother.

"Singe, you ok?" Zackary asked but with a confused look that appeared on his features.

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm ok, it's just a little hard to fly. I think I landed on my wings too but nothing too serious," Singe answered as he gritted his teeth in pain. To him, it felt like several needles were pressing through the bone on his wings that added with a twist, puncturing through his wing membrane as it slowly tore. Although, he tried to make it sound like he was fine, he knew that Zackary wasn't convinced.

"I know you're faking it but no time to judge that. Come on Singe, we're almost there," Zackary said, trying to encourage his older brother to push the extra length and finally rest in their cave home. Finally, after a few more long and in this case, painful minutes, both Singe and Zackary were approaching the cave entrance. Now they were entering another problem. Singe did mention that he would need some help landing, something the black dragon had no idea what to do. Nevertheless, he continued to think of a plan while they closed in on the cave. However, it didn't take him long for an idea to pop in his mind.

"Hey Singe?" Zackary questioned as he looked to his right where his injured brother flew slowly next to him.

"Yeah?" the red dragon answered back.

"I think I know a way to help you land without injuring your forepaw even more."

"Well don't be selfish," Singe demanded. Zackary paused for a few seconds, taken aback by his discourteous words. He thought about it for a few moments, deciding if he should let him in on his idea or let him find a way on his own. Nevertheless, he push it aside just by the fact that he was his brother and continued on.

"I don't know how well it'll work out but it's worth a shot. I'll fly ahead and circle around inside the cave. By the time I have completed my pass, you should be making your way in. What I'll do is kinda catch you. Well, in this case, I'll slow you down enough where you can land without applying pressure on your forepaw. Does that sound good enough?" Zackary asked, explaining his idea of helping his brother to land. Singe then turned his head towards his younger brother with a dumbstruck expression by Zackary's idea.

"What! Are you crazy!" Singe shouted. "Why would you come up with an idea like that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry; do you have any better ideas?" Zackary asked sarcastically. "Besides, it's better than nothing, right?"

"Yeah, whatever," Singe answered in a timid voice and slowly looked away from his brother.

"Alright than, I'm going ahead, try the best you can to slow down before you reach me." With that, Singe gave a firm nod to his younger brother just before Zackary took off ahead. And as planned, Zackary flew inside the cave entrance and banked right just barely missing the cave wall. Once he had made his complete half-circle, he could see his older brother starting to make his way into the cave. Singes' eyes widened when he caught sight of his brother and how fast he was still flying. A thought then rushed into his mind that this could do more harm than good. Nevertheless, he trusted his younger brother and proceeded on.

At the last second, both dragons immediately flapped their wings in the opposite position and both stalled into a hover. However before Singe and Zackary could fall straight down, Zackary grabbed his brother's shoulder with his talons as if he was giving him a hug and both landed on the ground gently without Singe placing his injured forepaw in front of him. Once they both were on the cave floor safely, Zackary let go of his brother and both placed their front paws on the ground, except for Singe who held his forepaw in the air just above the ground. Once all was settled, Singe stared at his younger brother with a dumbfounded expression as he smiled and started to walk further in the cave.

"Well done, brother," Singe said while speaking in a calm voice, returning his brother's kind remark. "I had my doubts with your plan but I misjudged you. I must have taught you well." Zackary froze when the last words exited his brother's muzzle; he immediately turned around and started to walk back to him. But more in a circling motion around his older brother.

"Well, last I checked, you didn't teach me how to help you," Zackary reminded as he completed his circling and sat on the ground a near meter away from his brother's left flank, staring blankly.

"Yeah, well, whatever," Singe spoke while rolling his eyes and slowing his words to a mumble. "But there is one thing I helped you with today."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Zackary asked. However, the way he spoke almost sounded like he was trying to intimidate his older brother. And his sly grin was all too much for Singe to know what he was trying to do. Nonetheless, he continued to speak in calm words.

"Do you feel better?" Singe asked.

"Yeah, why?" The black dragon answered but maintained a confused look at him with his head cocked to the right side.

"Well then, I did my job," Singe responded and a sly smile started to form around the brim of his muzzle.

"Ah, I hate it when you do that!" Zackary complained. He always hated it when his brother would talk him into situations where he practically made his younger brother admit things that the black dragon is trying to avoid. But no matter how hard the black dragon tried, he could never escape his brother's tricks.

"Ok, yes, I'll admit it. You did manage to get my mind off my nightmare last night… somehow. Thank you," Zackary finished off as all his anger seemed to fade away from saying the last word. Nevertheless, he still was annoyed with him and continued his way back into the long, dark cave, leaving his injured brother behind.

"Hey, that's what I'm here for," Singe said politely. "Now why don't you come back here and help me inside?" Singe asked as he knew he probably couldn't go far by himself.

"Uh, what? I-I'm sorry, I can't hear you," Zackary ignored his brother as he started to walk even faster into the cave.

"Ha-ha, you had your fun, now come on." Singe replied, but there was no answer from the other brother. "Zackary? ZACK!" Again, no then took a long disappointing sigh and hung his head. "Just when I think he is learning something and not acting like a stupid lizard, he pulls something idiotic like this."

* * *

><p><strong>And there it stops. Please let me know whatcha thought of it. Like I said, it was just a filter chapter, nothing too special. I didn't really like how this chapter turned out but oh well. It's done and It's here.<strong>

**This just gives you an idea of part of their live; what they like to do and stuff. (Including their bickering, XP) Like I said, I'll try to update in two weeks for my next chapter, just look at my profile to see when. Also, if you guys can, please vote my pole, I'd like to know who is your favorite.**

**Ok, that's about it.**

**Til next time.**


	7. Chapter 6

**I...I...I...I'm alive? Oh my gosh... I thought I'd never get this up. D: I am SO sorry for this late update. A LOT has gone on, from my house nearly burning down to bowling and school starting again. I Haven't had much time near my PC. D:)**

**Ok, so it's up, this was a much bigger chapter than this but I had to split it because it got too long. So other half is nearly done. Does that mean a faster update? I dunno, we'll see. :D**

* * *

><p>Chapter 6<p>

Morning came and started a new day for a massive dragon city. The sun slowly started to rise from the east until it rose over the mountains from the distance, shining light to all who lived in the city. It glowed brightly as the sun hit the city's golden-like color on all of its structures, creating a magnificent sight that could be spotted for miles.

On the eastern edge of the city, a small yellow dragonfly buzzed impatiently back and forth on top of the great wall. On top on the wall with him stood several mole guards in their shiny Warfangian armor, waiting for two of their guardians, Cyril and Volteer, to return home. They had set off in search of three missing dragons nearly three days ago and had not returned with any news. Now, their search should have ended and this should have been the day that they returned to the city safely, hopefully with a few extra dragons with them. At this point, the yellow dragonfly couldn't wait any longer. He started to fly faster and his face started to change into a red color as frustration started to get to him. It had been too long; he couldn't wait for the guardians any more. His anger started to take over.

"How much longer do we have to wait for the guardians to return and see if they have my brother!?" Sparx shouted to the nearest mole guard. The mole guard closest looked up at the glowing dot and then focused back to the valley ahead of him with his arms crossed.

"Sparx, it is still too early in the morning to know anything and you were only out here for ten minutes. I'm afraid it will take longer than that my friend," Mason replied.

"Yeah, well, why can't they just show up when we need them? They _ARE_ the guardians of the city, right?" Sparx complained, although it was more loneliness that was to blame for his behavior. He had been in the city alone for four days since he had last seen his dragon brother, and now he started to throw his frustration on everyone he spoke to.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy, Master Sparx," Mason replied. "And yes, they are the head guardians of the city and far further than that. Their presence extends through several towns and cities far away from here," the head mole guard explained. He didn't even make eye contacted with the glowing yellow dragonfly. He stood in position with his small blacksmith made sword in his right paw while maintaining his crossed arm posture. He stared out past the horizon on the east of the city, waiting for the two guardians to return.

The sword he was holding was unlike any sword the other mole guards used. His was made out of a strong titanium metal instead of the steel the others used. But the striking appendance on it was the design. On the black handle there was fancy lettering carved into it that said: '_Never give up. Never surrender. We fight until death.' _And on the blade was a design of a dragon with its wings spread out, surrounding a massive city that seemed to be Warfang, as if it was protecting the city and all who lived in it.

"And how long do these searches take?" Sparx questioned.

"It all depends on the circumstances surrounding the missing dragon's or mole's disappearance, Shortly after Ignitus sent Hunter searching for you, your brother, and Ms. Cynder, we had a search for our head dragon guard." Mason stopped to take a breath, but just before he could finish saying whom the dragon was, Sparx cut in and finished his sentence.

"Zalon!?" Sparx shouted, surprising the head mole by how fast and loudly he said it.

"…Why yes… He went alone, trying to spy on Malefor's evil forces, trying to discover what their plot was for when it came time to attack the city. Then he disappeared." Mason paused. "After a week passed and he hadn't returned, we sent a search for him. Those were dangerous times to send half our guards to find him; several didn't return," he spoke at length, as it was hard for him to look back on those dreadful years of war. His whole life was dedicated to it.

"Wow… that makes me feel better already," Sparx said sarcastically and backed off a little from the mole. "How long did it take to find him?"

The mole paused for several seconds but eventually spoke with the answer.

"We finally located him three months after his disappearance," the head mole guard responded. "He was held prisoner after his spy mission was discovered by the Dark Master's army.

"THREE MONTHS!?" Sparx shouted. "I can't wait three months just to know if my brother is still alive or dead!"

Every mole head on the wall, working or guarding turned directly at the dragonfly, wondering what was going on. Even the dragon and mole citizens turned their head towards the wall where they all heard the uproar. The only one who remained calm was Mason.

"Fear not, Master Sparx. That was in the middle of the war. We would have found him faster if I wasn't for the grublins trying to attack us and the city. Actually, he wouldn't need to spy if it wasn't for the war," Mason commented, finding it to be a little funny. However, Sparx saw differently. "Anyway, my point is, the war has finally ended for good and we were able to send out most of our troops to find them. Master Sparx, we will find them and I guarantee we will bring them back to us. We will never give up."

Mason stopped to take in a breath, and he looked up at Sparx. The expression on his features told the yellow dragonfly that he meant what he just said. Sparx could tell he had Mason's word and it lifted his spirit up a tad. The mole then focused his sigh back to the east and continued his talking.

"As for Zalon, we could send out but little search parties for him. If we had all left like we're doing for your brother, we would have lost this city very quickly. However, sending a search party did affect us in the battle."

"Why did it affect the city?" Sparx asked quietly.

"It lowered our guard dramatically. That is how Malefor's army came in so close and that is how the damage to our city was started," Mason answered. Once he finished, he started to walk to his right and he signaled to Sparx with his paw to follow.

"So is that why he is so… uptight?" Sparx questioned as he followed the short mole guard.

"That's correct. Ever since that tragedy, he doesn't want the city to be left unguarded ever again in case of another event like that," Mason explained.

"Well, I don't think we have to worry about any more threats after what my brother did to that large purple lizard," Sparx commented as he balled his tiny hands into fists and started to swing them as if he was fighting.

"Yes, yes, I highly doubt there would be any more evil in this new age, and we have Master Spyro to thank," Mason agreed. He then stopped next to a tall watchtower and turned around so he could shout out to the mole guard that was on top of it, but just when he was about to Sparx cut in with another question.

"Whoa, wait, what about the time when the guardians led us through the underground cave thingy?"

"Yes, he knew about that, and he wasn't happy about it either. Nonetheless, he let it slide because his job then was to gather the citizens in the underground shelters."

"Oh," Sparx mumbled. Once his endless questions had ceased for a short time, Mason continued on what he was doing and shouted at the mole watcher.

"Any sight of Master Cyril or Master Volteer on the horizon!?"

"There is nothing yet, master. But I will let you know when I see something," the watcher hollered back. Mason then turned around and started to walk back to his position with a glowing yellow dragonfly flying just above his head, about a meter or so from him. Sparx was surprisingly quiet on the small trip back to the mole's lookout spot**, **which was rare. Mason walked at a slow pace, looking back and forth at his other mole guards, making sure they were doing their job correctly. However, even when the head mole made it back to his position, Sparx still remained quiet. He just stayed put in a hover and kept his sight to the east, trying to see any floating dots in the distance.

After another ten minutes, Sparx started to get very bored and anxious that the guardians hadn't returned yet, so he flew up to the watchtower Mason approached earlier and buzzed on up to the mole guard that was on top. Even though it was only several minutes and not hours like everyone else was expecting, Sparx couldn't take the waiting much longer. Nevertheless, he waited and thought of the good things him and his brother always used to do in their swamp home. That's when he thought about his parents in their old home. It had been well over three years since he last saw them, and now that Sparx was thinking about it, he really wanted to see them again.

However, what lay as a huge weight on his shoulder was his brother. Their parents would love to hear his story and would freak at how big he was but Sparx couldn't think how he could go without Spyro. If he didn't return, Sparx would have to go to his old home and bring forth the disastrous news. But he didn't dread on it that much; deep down he knew everyone was right, that Spyro was alive out there somewhere and he would find his way home. Terrador's voice kept ringing in his head with the words he said before he left in search for his brother.

Everyone's hero.

The yellow dragonfly thought about it for a few moments, but he couldn't help but chuckle when another true thought popped into his mind.

"Yeah, I know he will come back to me, he's so stubborn… like me." He sighed. "I'm sure he's dying to see me, and also, Cynder promised me, so..." Sparx spoke to himself. However, the mole guard on the tower with him looked at the yellow dragonfly with a weird expression, as he didn't know if Sparx was talking to himself or to him.

Another hour passed by and the sun was now high in the sky on that late morning, but still there was no sign of either search party. Every mole guard that stood on the wall seemed to be calm as they waited for any further news or a possible sighting. However, the only one who wasn't at ease was Sparx. He lay on the edge of the tower as he stared up at the sky, trying to stay as relaxed as he could. Alas, his body seemed to be calm, but deep inside his mind was like a thousand fireballs exploding all at once with no sign on letting up. Just when Sparx started to feel hopeless, he decided to take one more look. To his surprise, he could make out a tiny dot to the east. He couldn't believe what he had just seen, and he rubbed his eyes in case he was dreaming. But as he brought his hands down away from his eyes, he saw several dots coming and getting bigger too.

Sparx then flew off the edge of the tower and shielded his eyes with his right hand from the sun, as it was higher and brighter in the sky than before. His heart leapt for joy as he finally could make out the dots; they were dragons, and lots of them. Sparx froze in place; he just stared at the dots that got bigger and bigger as they came closer to the city, making their way towards it. A few seconds after he discovered they were dragons, he snapped out of his trance and reacted to the spotting. He moved fast and flew back inside the watchtower, catching the mole inside off guard.

Once he was inside, he didn't even say a word, he just flew up to the rope that connected to a large bell and gave a happy sigh. Sparx then grabbed the rope that was bigger than he was and tried as hard as he could to ring the large bell. He brought all his body weight in pulses for the best chance to move it. He groaned every time he pulled but unfortunately, he was too small even to make it budge. Nevertheless, he continued to tug on the rope but he also shouted at the mole that stared blankly at him.

"Well don't just stand there, there's dragons approaching! Help me with this!"

"What!?" the mole replied. The guard then ran over to the far east of the tower, where the dragons should be returning from. Sure enough, there were dragons approaching and coming fast.

The mole guard ran back and grabbed the large rope in his tiny paws, nearly grabbing the yellow dragonfly that was hanging on it. The mole jumped into the air and used his body weight to slowly pull the rope down, causing to bell to ring. Though his first large pull took a while to ring, he now had the momentum to continue ringing it with ease. The bell gave a deep loud ring that anyone in the city could hear. Every head from the wall and the ground turned towards the tower when they heard the bell ring and instantly everyone knew what it meant.

"Dragons, dragons! On the eastern side of the city, they have returned!" the mole said as he continued to ring the bell as hard as he could.

Every dragon and mole in the city that was close to the tower cheered when they heard the news. The crucial thing everyone was now wondering was did they or did they not find the missing dragons that saved all of their lives? Everybody waited anxiously as the search troops neared the city, hoping the best.

After a long and agonizing wait, the dragons from the first search party arrived at the city wall and continued to fly over it on their way to the main temple in the center of Warfang. As the dragon guards passed over, all the moles on the wall cheered and clapped their paws as they made it back home safely. However, Sparx didn't see his brother, not even Cynder. He started to worry as he didn't spot Spyro right away but he didn't want to give up hope just yet; he still hasn't talked to the guardian in charge of this search. In addition, it was also hard to see if he was there considering how many dragons flew over at once. He wouldn't know until he saw the guardian himself. Once they all were past the wall, Sparx flew off after them on their way to the temple's courtyard.

It didn't take long for all the dragons to reach the temple, and once they were near, they all started to descend and land on the ground in a big circle, nearly taking up the whole space. Hundreds of citizens surrounded the massive group of dragon guards, all cheering as loud as they could, eager to know if they found their heroes. Sparx flew over the dragons, looking through to see if he could spot the guardian who took charge of this search or better, his brother. The yellow dragonfly continued to fly above the dragons but to no success. It was then when Sparx and every dragon heard a loud voice, no doubt the guardian. All the dragon guards silenced and faced him as he spoke.

"Thank you all for volunteering for this search, even if we unfortunately did not find any evidence of our companions. Although we did not find them, we will never give up until we do," the guardian spoke. "You will have a whole day to rest, and by tomorrow evening, we will set out again and continue this search… you are all dismissed."

As instructed, all of the dragon guards who were on the mission departed and went on to their day as the guards of the city. Once most of the dragons had cleared out of the way Sparx could see whom this search belonged to.

It was Volteer.

Sparx took a sigh of relief upon seeing that it was the talkative guardian; now he could finally talk to someone without being yelled at. The yellow dragonfly flew over to the yellow dragon at a fast rate, but his relief turned into worry as he didn't see his dragon brother once the other dragons cleared.

"Volteer!" Sparx hollered. He nearly flew into the dragon's muzzle because of how fast he was going but was able to stop just in time.

"My, my, Sparx. You seem anxious this morning. It's good to see you again," the guardian announced.

"You have no idea," Sparx said under his breath. "Spyro, my brother, is he…" He trailed off as he expected the worse once he saw Volteer's head drop and a saddened expression form across his features.

"I'm afraid, Sparx…We didn't have any bit of luck in locating your brother," Volteer said in shame. Once he finished Sparx hung his head, disappointed that he wasn't going to see his brother today. The whole time he waited, it was all for nothing. He tried so hard to keep a cool mind but his confidence slowly started to fall by each passing day that went by with still no success in finding his brother.

"Oh, ok, thanks for trying," Sparx said with a timid voice and started to head back inside the temple to where his room was. As he started to fly away, he hung his head down low in sadness, and flew extremely slow.

"Don't feel saddened by this unfortunate predicament. We will mount another search tomorrow evening, and this time we will head out even further. We're just not looking in the right places, but we will in time. You still have Cyril and his search. I'm sure we have the best possibility in locating them," Volteer went on, hoping for the best chances of perking up the purple dragon's brother.

"Cyril and Terrador," Sparx mumbled.

"Uh, come again?" the electricity guardian asked.

"Cyril and Terrador's searches. The big guy left not long after you did," he answered, but this time he looked into the eyes of the guardian.

"Oh, is that so? Terrador set out on search for our purple friend also? It is truly remarkable what we would do for him and Cynder as well. I'm sure with Ignitus by their side, they all will be here faster than you can think about," Volteer spoke, starting to become energized as he continued.

"Trust me, that is all I've been thinking about," Sparx expressed but rather saddened in his words.

"Well, my point is, they will be here. I have known Ignitus for too long. What he sees in Spyro is unlike any other dragon he has been with. I know he will do anything for them to ensure a safe return home," the guardian spoke about the dragonfly's brother.

"So, this is our new home, where we will be staying?" Sparx asked since the yellow dragon brought it up. Now that Sparx was thinking about it, he and his brother haven't stayed in a place that they could call home in years. Now that the war was over, he really would like to settle in a place that he can call home, although he did miss his old home in the swamp. The yellow guardian was taken aback by his question; he didn't understand why he would ask such a thing.

"What!? Of course this is your home. You are welcome to stay here. We all would love your presence here. That is if you are willing to stay of course." Volteer's voice became quite when he finished. Sparx stared blankly at the guardian. He thought about his old home, how much he loved it and his childhood, where he and Spyro grew up. But then he looked at his new place in Warfang**.** He really liked the size and the luxury it brought. Everything in the great city he enjoyed. However, the main decision he was going to leave to his brother, Spyro. After all, his purple friend would need the best place to relax for once in his life, and whatever was good with him, it was good with Sparx. Once after a few minutes of staring at the yellow dragon, he snapped out of his daydream and noticed that he was staring back at him with a confused expression across his features. Sparx then blinked a few times to wake up.

"Is everything alright, young Sparx?" Volteer asked.

"What? Oh, yeah, just thinking, that's all. I-I guess I'll see ya later," Sparx said just before he started to fly away. However, a sudden voice stopped the dragonfly from flying any further.

"Wait, Sparx. I know you're feeling depressed but how about I show you around the city? I know you weren't able to see much during the war. And if you know where things are in the city, you might be able to help your brother get around when he returns," the electricity guardian suggested. He knew this would be a great way to get Sparx to focus on his surrounding and possibly get his dragon brother off his mind for a little while. He then rose to his paws, hoping the dragonfly would like to take a tour through Warfang and see what new additions were added to the great city of Warfang. Sparx thought about the offer and after a few moments of thinking, he gave a weak nod to Volteer.

"Yeah, sure, I guess that'll be fine. It might get my mind off Spyro for a little while. It will also give me time to think how I am going to yell at him for making me wait so long," Sparx said, laughing a bit at the end when he realized what he said. Volteer also gave a small chuckle at the dragonfly's joke against his brother, and then he proceeded on.

"Uh, shall we?" Volteer asked.

"After you, big guy." Sparx pointed his fingers and winked at the guardian before hovering on the right side of the large yellow dragon above his head.

Not long after that, Volteer slowly walked down the paths of the city with a hovering insect above him. As he continued further down the paths, they passed some other dragons on the way. Everyone that passed seemed to be thrilled by the sight that one of their guardians has returned to the city, even if it was the one who talked a lot. An hour passed by into their tour and now Sparx's eyes were wide open. The scenery fascinated the yellow dragonfly but the main reason why his eyes were big was the constant talking from the electricity dragon. Through the whole trip, Volteer would tell him everything about the city. Even when he was about to run out of words to say, they would pass a corner and he would start all over again. For once, Sparx started to get annoyed by the guardian's constant babbling. His talking never use to get on his nerves, but this time it was. However, he couldn't figure out why. Nonetheless, he didn't really care all too much; anything was better than sitting alone without anything to do or anyone to talk to.

Several long minutes passed by and now, Sparx started to become bored. Before he thought it would be fun to learn about the city he possibly would be living in, but he chose the wrong dragon for the job. Instead of knowing the important history and areas of Warfang, Volteer told him everything but that.

"Hey, Mr. Volt?" Sparx spoke over the dragon's voice.

"And, uh, yes, what is it?" Volteer stuttered.

"Is there anything else to this city but the back alleys of the building? A place where, I don't know, where dragons actually walk around?" Sparx spoke quite calmly but inside him, he wanted to blow out.

"Oh, I apologize, I tend to talk so much that I lose my train of thought," Volteer spoke.

"I've noticed," Sparx said in a whisper with his head turned away from the yellow dragon.

"I guess I brought us to the deserted part of the city. My mistake," Volteer apologized. "I had an exquisite place to take you, but it's close to the temple. We must fly there to make goodtime. Care to go?"

"Let's go," Sparx answered with a firm nod.

Volteer lead the way and with a single flap of his wings, he was airborne with a glowing speck just above his head. They climbed high above the city. Sparx looked all around and was astonished by the scenery it brought. For once he saw the dragons that lived in the city, although, there wasn't as many compared to what the guardians said it was. Nevertheless, it was way more dragons than he had ever seen.

"Hey, how come there isn't as many dragons as you guys said there was?" Sparx asked curiously.

"…Unfortunately, most have perished during the war…" Volteer looked away in shame from the sudden memory. His excitement seemed to wither away and all hope in him vanished. Sparx could only imagine what kind of catastrophic incident must have occurred to change the hyperactive dragon's expression so dramatically. He almost didn't want to ask why but he did anyway. However, he waited several seconds before speaking in a timid voice.

"If you don't mine me asking, how?" he asked at length. Volteer didn't say a word for a long pause. He didn't ever want to talk about their unfortunate mishap, especially on a day like this. He still maintained his glaze away from the glowing dragonfly but finally, he gave a depressed sigh and slowly nodded, letting Sparx know that he was going to tell what happened on such a tragic day.

"It was nearly a decade ago. Malefor was imprisoned, but still his army forces grew stronger... Until the day, he sought a dragon, an egg of a dragon…" Volteer paused. "Ever since the day that we failed our duty in protecting the dragon eggs for the next generation, we were devastated when we realized that they stole Cynder's. We fought every day until we found her." Volteer paused for a moment and finally made eye contact with the yellow dragonfly. He flew slowly, causing their trip to take even longer, but Sparx didn't mind; it would give him time to listen to the rest of the story.

"So, what happened when you found her?" Sparx asked.

"…She became monstrous," Volteer said grimly. The words of what she was sent shivers down the yellow dragonfly's body, as he remembered what she looked like, what she tried to do to him and Spyro.

"She was imprisoned and forced to serve under The Dark Master's control by his poisonous power. She had no chance to escape, nowhere to run. She had no choice but to serve him…" The yellow guardian spoke quietly, completely heartbroken by what she had to go through, what he and the other guardians could have prevented. "And as his dark power consumed her, she grew into an evil black dragoness known as, 'The Terror of the Skies.' Therefore, the battle against Cynder began."

"Y-you don't think… she'll be able to, uh, change back, do you?" Sparx asked at length with a frightened look across his features. The memories of when she was evil still haunted him today. Volteer smiled when he noticed the dragonfly shaking with fear, and he couldn't help but chuckle before he spoke the answer.

"No, no, young Sparx. Cynder is now back in our possession, and I don't think the greatest power in the world would separate her from us again. She is strong and I guarantee she will never turn back."

"Well, good." Sparx crossed his arms and thrust his head downward in a firm nod. "I think I'll die from a heart attack if I ever see another dragon that big trying to kill me!"

"Ha-ha, I think it's more likely that I would be the one to suffer a heart attack at my age. It won't take much for me now," Volteer joked but seemed to cheer up the yellow dragonfly.

"He-he, you probably got that right. Oops." Sparx immediately threw a hand over his mouth after he realized what he said, hoping Volteer didn't hear his unintended words. Luckily, Volteer didn't hear a word he said and Sparx gave a heavy sigh in relief when he saw the dragon's gaze still fixed in front of him and not at Sparx. "Woo, that was close. I really need to think before I speak because that could have been bad," Sparx mumbled to himself. Then he spoke up to Volteer.

"I think we got a little carried away, what happened next?" Sparx asked, as he got right back on the main subject they were talking about. Volteer's expression hardened when he remembered what they talked about before. He still wasn't comfortable with explaining his and the other guardians' mistake but nonetheless, it was Spyro's brother and therefore, he needed to know as well as Spyro and Cynder if they returned.

"Anyway, where was I?" Volteer thought about it for a few seconds, remembering where he left off. "Oh yes, I remember. We finally located Cynder. When we discovered that she was 'The Terror of the Skies,' we all were heartbroken. How something could be raised in the wrong hands changed so much. We all failed Cynder, but we were determined to get her back. However, we didn't know if the damage was done, or if it was too late…" The yellow dragon paused again and hung his head in shame.

"We were all desperate to claim her back, so she could learn what she needs to survive right with us, to live a normal life, as the only one left… Therefore, we gathered thousands of troops, all dragons from this city. Most were guards and the rest were dragons who wanted to help. We were confident that we had enough dragons to take down Cynder… We were wrong." He spoke with pity in his voice, and he paused once more, thinking of what else he had to say before he could finish.

Sparx raised his tiny hand and somehow Volteer saw him and stared at him. "I think I know where this is going, you all underestimated her scary power and…" Sparx trailed off as again he was saying words he shouldn't be saying. "Never mind, please continue," Sparx said, holding out his hand in a polite gesture.

"We tried to capture her and possibly knock the spell out of her, but unfortunately, we did not succeed. She was too powerful and most of us didn't return back to the city. The ones who did return home were either wounded or nearly dead. I and the other guardians were forced to give up hope," Volteer finished and took another depressing sigh of guilt.

"But then Spyro saved her from the bad guys' evil clutches," Sparx spoke in a rather loud voice, hoping this story would end with happiness. However, he was wrong.

"Yes, yes, that is true. But our city, once filled with thousands of dragons, now lies with only a few hundred left. Our kind is struggling to regenerate from such a tragic loss, something that could have been prevented." The electricity guardian sighed. Sparx looked at him for a few moments. He had never seen such a talkative dragon look so saddened, and it almost hurt him seeing Volteer in such a state.

"Hey, you shouldn't blame yourself for something that was unpredictable. The one who should be blamed is that big, bad, purple guy. The main thing is Spyro and Cynder are well and alive… I hope." At the end, Sparx spoke very quietly to himself. "You said it yourself, they're out there somewhere, and we just need to find the right location. You helped me by saying that and it's working," Sparx finished, for once giving a pep talk to the guardian.

"Yes, your words are rather true, and I'm positive they will return, I'll make sure to make my troops look even harder for them at all costs," he answered. "But now, I'll take you to the city's magnificent, intriguing, wonderful, and uh, shrub garden. Almost everyone goes there to relax and to feel at ease. I think we need to stay there for a while," Volteer joked.

"Ha, I agree with you," Sparx admitted.

Just seconds after he spoke, the city's public garden was in view. They both started to descend lower to the city ground, and after each second they got closer, Sparx could feel a strange feeling in his gut. He couldn't figure out what it was but it felt pleasant. Once they were a little closer, Sparx could see the whole mass of the garden. It truly was magnificent. From the air, he could see a variety of colors; blues, reds, and greens, all seeming to blend into one but still maintaining their unique color. However, flowing in between the beautiful colors were hints of yellow, purple, orange, and some other colors the yellow dragonfly had never even seen before, all mixed into one massive flower and shrub garden.

After a few more moments of descending, they had reached the walkway in between the plants. Sparx was in awe as he spun around, nearly losing his balance in the air, but managed to stop before he did. Everything around him seemed wonderful. There were all different kinds of plants that he had never heard of before, let alone seen. Then Sparx noticed on the ground were four stone paths that went through the garden and into the center where it opened up to a large circle. But something was different with the stone floor; it had a picture carved in it. At the ends of the paths were letters meaning north, south, east, and west, but in the center of it was a carving of the whole city as if they were looking down from overhead. Sparx couldn't believe how amazing it was. Volteer walked up behind him and stopped once he was right next to him on his right. He too enjoyed the exquisite scenery and stood in place for a few moments in silence.

"It is truly remarkable, isn't it, young Sparx?" Volteer was the first to speak and asked about the breathtaking view.

"Yeah it is. I don't even know what most of these plants are," Sparx commented about the unknown plants he was looking at.

"It was just constructed a few days ago, just before I sent out in search. This garden is a memorial for the brave souls who have given their lives to bring back a new age of peace," he spoke with appraisement of all the worriers who fought, whether young or old, to bring an end to their suffering. Once he finished, Sparx crossed his arms again and stared at the yellow dragon again with a puzzled look across his features.

"Hey, how is it possible for moles to build this in a day or two?" he questioned once again.

"You'd be surprised by how fast our mole workers can build or reconstruct things. It's truly amazing how they work so fast to keep our city strong," Volteer answered. He looked to the side of his eyes and smiled a little when he still saw the glowing dragonfly hover to his side.

"Well, I for one am completely shocked by how nice this looks. Who wouldn't want to live in this city? This place has everything," Sparx exclaimed, excited by how much he was loving the city of Warfang.

"Well, I believe that is it for the tour through the city today. If you would like to know more, I could name you every plant and shrub in this garden and I could…"

He was suddenly cut short when a down pressure of cool air went through the city. Everything went silent as the wind whipped by, and everyone in the city stared at the sky as a thick layer of gray clouds rolled in, covering the light from everything in its path. The sky turned from day to night in a matter of seconds, covering the city in darkness. The wind picked up as a cold front hit and the temperature in the air cooled off dramatically. Everyone still maintained their glaze at the approaching clouds, but after the first loud _crack _of thunder, everyone took off for shelter in their homes as an approaching storm came toward the city.

"It appears that the weather has other plans for us this afternoon. Looks like I'll need to advise you another day," Volteer shouted over the wind.

"Sounds good to me, now let's head back to the temple, right?" Sparx asked while also shouting against the wind.

"Precisely," Volteer announced.

***.*.***

Dark hazy clouds appeared high over the mountains in the distance. Lightning shot out of them in all directions, striking whatever it could find. In addition to the lightning, loud roars of thunder shook the ground, becoming more intense as the storm rolled in closer. Inside the behemoth storm were winds greater than what could be imagined, blowing all over in all different directions and knocking down small, weak trees in its path. Anyone in its path had no chance to run from this super cell.

Further to the north of the storm was a group of dragons, flying low to the ground and preparing for the strong winds the storm had to offer. The group of many dragons belonged to a fairly large earth dragon and flying back to his right was a much smaller red dragon that appeared to be a fire dragon. Both dragons were in front of the large group, all the others following them wherever they went.

"Zalon, what is the status of your guards?" the large earth dragon spoke with his deep voice.

"Nothing yet, sir. We're still not having any luck on this mission. I think it's best for us to head back. It's safer that way," the red Guard suggested. The earth guardian's expression hardened by what the head guard was trying to do, suggesting what was best for him.

"Listen to me!" The earth dragon demanded. "We will not head back to the city until we locate our missing heroes. Spyro sacrificed himself to save us and all and we owe him our lives. Yes, you rank higher than the rest of the guards here and you're firm with your job. But you need to listen to me this time." He spoke with a little anger in his words. "We lost them once before and we are most certainly not going to make the same mistake again. Do you hear me?" The guardian asked dementedly. Zalon looked away from his master guard; he didn't even say a word for several long seconds, but eventually broke the silence.

"Yes, Master Terrador." He spoke timidly.

"Good. Then we keep up the search," Terrador spoke firmly.

"Yes, sir."

Zalon didn't want to agree with his guardian but it was his job to follow orders whether he agrees with them or not. They continued their search but as it had been all day, no hope had been found. It had also been five hours since they last rested for a break, and all the dragons including Terrador were starting to wear out from the exhausting day. Terrador looked back at his group and saw a few dragons falling behind. He knew they were tired but they had to keep going. The faster they searched, the faster they could find them, if they find them. Terrador decided to proceed on for a little longer; if they stopped now, they would be in the path of the storm that was approaching them quickly. But as it drew nearer, the earth guardian began struggling to decide if he should call off the search for the day and find shelter before the storm hit or try to out-fly it.

"It appears this storm is coming-forth more rapidly than anticipated," Terrador shouted finally as the wind started to pick up. "We must seek shelter before we are overtaken by it. Zalon, tell your guards to split up into two groups. Half will follow me and the others follow you. Seek shelter immediately; this squall is going to bring havoc to this place, and we don't want any dragons to get caught up in this."

"Master, with all due respect, I don't think it's a good idea to split up our troops into two separate groups. It may do more harm than good," Zalon replied, hoping for an alternative for a safer passage through the dreadful storm that approached rapidly.

"Hum, you may be correct. Separating the guards could concern us even more. All right, we'll stay on course as one and locate a place big enough for all our guards," Terrador agreed for once to the head guards' suggestion. "Anything else?"

He didn't receive an answer. Confused, he looked at the red dragon to see why he didn't reply, but when he saw him, he was staring underneath him. Terrador's expression became puzzled, not understanding what he was staring at. However, an answer finally came out of his muzzle at length.

"Master Terrador, there's something you need to see, look to your left," the fire guard insisted to his leader. Terrador didn't understand what he was talking about, but nevertheless, he did what he was told and set his gaze to his left. However, once he took sight of the trouble, he was horrified by what lay ahead of him. He didn't believe what he was seeing and blinked a few time but once he opened his eyes, it was still there.

"By our ancestors, this cannot be," he breathed.

What lay in his sights were several camps sprawled throughout a field, each with ragged, hole-filled cloth as the canopy, brown in color. Only one creature would set up camps like this.

They were grublin camps.

They were small camps, maybe containing fifty grublins total but it was enough to set an uneasy feeling in the guardian's stomach. Terrador and the rest of the group just stared at the camp of grublins; no one could believe what they were spotting. The grublins were a long ways away so they didn't have to worry about being spotted, but the sight of the ugly creatures sent questions in every dragons mind. Why were there grublins? Would they need to fight them? Is the war even over? No one knew for sure but one thing they all agreed on was no good could come from it.

"Sir, do we fight?" Zalon requested. Terrador took a while to reply but finally did.

"No, we let them be. Continue the search," Terrador ordered and focused on their search for shelter. He could feel a set of eyes glaring at him and he knew the red dragon wasn't happy with his decision.

"What!?" Zalon shouted with anger. "How can you let them be? If we let them be then they'll set up a plan to attack the city again!"

"Zalon, I am just as surprised as you are but right now, they don't concern us. Our primary goal is to locate and bring back our young warriors and our fire guardian. We will worry about the grublins later but the time to fight is not now. Now is the time to find shelter for our troops, and we will continue the search after the storm passes but we must hurry," Terrador commanded.

Zalon continued to glare at the large earth guardian, his expression burning from the guardian's choice. He didn't want to listen to him, but deep down he knew Terrador was right. At that moment they needed to locate a place to protect them from the storm, not fight curious grublins. Zalon didn't say a word and focused his sight back in front of him, trying hard to keep the guardian out of his sight.

Several long and tiring minutes passed by with no signs of the missing dragons or a place to stay throughout the storm. They were all too far away from the grublins to be spotted so they had one less thing to worry about, averting a fight they all never would have expected. At this point, the clouds started to open up and a light rain fell from the skies, and the winds also picked up dramatically which made it extremely hard for the dragons to fly. But to their luck, hidden in a wall of rain was a massive arch of rock that came out of a mountainside. The rock spanned well over ten meters tall and a width of fifty meters each way, well large enough for all several dozen dragon guards who volunteered for this search.

"It appears that our luck is finally turning around. We will base camp in the middle of that mountain," Terrador announced. "Make sure the rest of the group knows what our plan is. This squall isn't going to be pleasant."

Once Terrador finished speaking, Zalon flew back and told every guard what they were doing. Just after he left, a surprisingly young yellowish-gold dragoness flew up to the massive green dragon.

"Mast Terrador?" she asked. The green earth dragon looked over his shoulder at the young dragoness.

"Ah, Kichaty. It's been some time since I last saw you," Terrador said, he was surprised to see the dragoness volunteer a few days back when they were in the city. He also was proud to see her be the youngest guard in the entire city. Nevertheless, he couldn't say much. It was a time of crisis and he had a big job to handle.

"It's been awhile. But I'm here to see if you need any help with gathering the guards?"

"I would appreciate all the help I can get," Terrador replied with a small smile.

"Good, just let me know what I need to do." She asked.

Terrador thought about it for a few moments, but then he looked back to his left. He could see the worst of the storm barreling over the mountains with a massive, blinding, white wall of rain hurtling straight towards them. All they had was minutes to spare. Lightning cracked the sky, striking everything around them with destructive force, and winds ripped trees out of the ground from their roots. Complete chaos entered the fields, the same fields they were in and they had no way to escape it.

"Kitchaty, go help Zalon gather the guards. We're heading straight for that cave in the side of that mountain," the guardian announced as he pointed towards the cave-like structure.

"I'm on it," the dragoness replied and flew back to Zalon.

After all was done, every dragon knew what the plan was. Before the storm became any worse, all the dragons including Terrador flew inside the large cave that carved its way into the mountain. Terrador landed first with a _thud_; he had been on his wings for most of the day and finally he could let them rest. As soon as everyone made it inside and were settled, the clouds opened up and unleashed a river of rain all at once. They all had made it just in time because after the rain started, something big started to take down trees and other plants in its way. It appeared to be a microburst that brought havoc to the lands they were in. However, they all were safe inside the cave. Not one dragon could feel the strong elements of the storm.

Every dragon lay on the ground with relief for the welcome rest. Everyone seemed to be at ease, all but Terrador who couldn't get the thought of the grublins they saw out of his mind. Now with their safety out of the way, he worried that the war may not have ended as they'd hoped. The earth guardian was in such a deep thought that he didn't see a young yellow dragoness approach him. Once she reached the guardian's sight, he flinched a little from the unexpected visitor.

"Sorry, Master Terrador. May I talk to you for a minute?" the golden dragoness asked. Terrador waited a while to reply.

"Yes… yes of course you can, what is your question?" he replied.

Kitchaty sat down next to the earth guardian and set her sight back outside the cave, as the chaotic storm unleashed heavy rain and destruction along its path. She didn't say a word for several long minutes, but the expression on her features told the massive earth dragon everything that was on her mind. It was too clear for him to miss.

"I don't understand this. If this 'Spyro' you speak of defeated 'The Dark Master', wouldn't he have ended his army forces?" the young dragoness questioned. The massive earth guardian didn't answer for a moment, but he then breathed a heavy, tense sigh before he replied.

"I'm sorry, Kitchaty,but I do not understand anymore than you do in regards to this unfortunate predicament. It seems to be a shock to all of us, this sighting of grublins," the bulky earth dragon breathed.

"But what does this mean? I've heard stories that once Malefor has been brought down, a new age with form and will bring peace to all the lands. Shouldn't it be that time?" she asked. Then the golden dragoness turned her glaze back to the earth guardian but with a puzzled expression.

"I'm not certain with the meaning, but as far as the legend, it is indeed true. However, as far as the grublins, I just hope that is all that is left from his army and that no more are regaining strength," he answered. "There are other possibilities but I wouldn't dwell on them. You shouldn't worry about it for a dragon your age."

His words seemed to lighten the young dragoness' thoughts.

"Thank you, Master Terrador. I'll go check and see how Zalon is doing," she replied, then quietly rose to her feet and slowly walked away. Terrador just watched, smiling, as she slowly disappeared from sight among all the dragon bodies that were scattered throughout the shelter they had found. He still stared after her once she was gone, but his thoughts turned back to their sighting of the grublins. He then set his sight back down on the ground in front of him and took another tense sigh.

"By our ancestors, let's all hope this doesn't turn out as we fear," Terrador spoke to himself and then rose to his paws. Then he began his walkthrough, checking on his party and making sure every dragon was there and safe.

* * *

><p><strong>And this is where I split it. <strong>

**Oh no! Grublins! Does this mean the war never ended? Or could this be a few strays? **

**So, whatcha think? Was it worth the wait? Please let my know in a PM or a review.**

**Just wanta point out something real quick. My OC, Kitchaty was something I had planed even before I had the idea to write this story. I just thought of it one day and liked it. ^^ Ok, that's about it. Next chapter 'should' be up sooner... A lot sooner.**

**K, til next time.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hello, I'm back again. Like I said, a lot sooner. :D**

**anyway, not much to say this time. Enjoy. Oh, and please review. K, that's all. ;)**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8<p>

Two dragons flew high in the sky on a hot spring day. The daytime started to come to an end but on the ground, the air was still hot and humid from the intense heat they had encountered that day. But high in the air where they both flew, the winds blew rapidly but in the direction they were flying. This made it incredibly easier to fly from the winds and it cooled them off from the heat, and they also were able to maintain a steady speed. However, both dragons started to tire out dramatically as they have been flying non-stop since early that morning. They didn't even stop for a meal; they were so determined to locate their home, they didn't care to eat. But at this moment, they didn't care for food, they just wanted to find an appropriate place to rest for the day. For a long length of time, they both didn't speak a word to each other. Instead, they both would look at each other and determine if one was ok.

However, the purple dragon looked to his left again, but this time he noticed that his dragoness started to slow in her pace. This concerned him. He wanted to say it was from exhaustion but he knew something else was at play with her sluggish pace.

"Cynder," the purple dragon spoke, "are you alright?"

Without wasting a second, the black dragoness answered sharply.

"I'm fine!" Cynder said quite loudly. She didn't realize how harshly she said it until it was too late.

"Cynder, I can tell there is something on your mind. I can see it. Please don't try to keep it a secret, I'm here to help." Spyro didn't like it when she would keep secrets from him. But he understood why and he didn't dwell on it as much. However, he wanted Cynder to feel comfortable and open up to him even more. Spyro knew he could help with anything that was troubling her, especially what she will encounter later on from her frightening past.

"What!? I'm not keeping secrets from you. I would never do that," Cynder protested.

"Then tell me, I might be able to help." Spyro asked again. He was determined to know and he really wanted to help, no matter the cost.

"I'm sorry, Spyro. You wouldn't understand anyway." She answered back.

"Wouldn't understand? What do you mean I won't… understand what?" What she was talking about started confuse him but nonetheless, he still had an idea what it was.

"My past!" Cynder hollered out. She never wanted to yell at him but she didn't want to discuss these issues with him yet.

"I won't understand your past?" Spyro questioned. "Cynder, I know what you went through; I went through part of it myself. I-." He was suddenly cut short when Cynder cut in and yelled at the purple dragon.

"Spyro! There is still a lot you don't know about me. The pain and suffering I went through for years. The choices I made that I've come to regret. You only what the guardians have told you… but you don't know what I truly went through in my corruption," Cynder finished and looked away from the purple dragon with her eyes closed. She felt sorry for yelling at him and hoped he didn't take it offensively. However, Spyro didn't even flinch from her yelling. He stayed calm, as he been expecting her to do so. Nevertheless, he was puzzled when she said he didn't know much about her past. He wanted to know but he didn't know if he should press any further.

"Cynder, would you mind telling me? I hate to see you sad and hurt; I might be able to help." Spyro still tried to help her, although, he didn't want to push it too far.

"I'd rather not," Cynder answered heavily, "But, you should know the truth about my life," she said at length. The black dragoness worried that if she told him her true past, he wouldn't want to be with her anymore. However, she would be just as bad if she didn't.

"Don't worry, Cynder. No matter what you tell me, it won't change my love for you," Spyro announced with a smile that started to form across his features. Cynder couldn't help but smile back at the purple dragon. She knew if he truly loved her, he would understand everything she went through in her past.

"Thank you, Spyro," she spoke timidly. She gave a nervous sigh as she thought back to those dreadful days of her life. She never wanted to speak about her past to anyone ever again, after what little information she gave to the guardians, but she knew she could trust Spyro and that was all that mattered.

"Ok, it all started when I hatched. I don't remember much but there was this figure. I don't even know what he looked like but he was the one that told me everything about my beginning. He said I hatched only weeks after my egg was captured, but on the day I started to hatch, I was too slow," Cynder spoke as she now started to get deep in thought…

***.*.***

"How long does it take for a pathetic dragon to hatch from an egg!? It shouldn't be that hard to break through something as thin as paper!" a massive ape with two long swords that were strapped to his back and a green eye hollered.

"Patience, Gaul. It takes time for a dragon to hatch. Sometimes it can take days. You should just let it be and it will hatch before you know it," a mysterious figure replied calmly. It was an odd creature that stood by the ape king's side. The creature apparently was a male judging by his deep voice. He wore a raged brown robe with red velvet trim around it and a hood that covered his face. It was also used for protection from the war but surprisingly was clean from dirt and debris, unlike the filthy apes. He stood upright on two feet like the apes but he was far different from the other creatures. He always carried a long staff with a red glowing crystal on the top of it. However, no one knew what he looked like. The robe he wore covered every inch of his body. Although no one really cared what he looked like, his fighting skills were far greater than any other creature in Malefor's army.

"Days!?" Gaul shouted. "I cannot wait days for this thing to come out! I have orders from my master to train this dragon to kill. I can't wait any longer," the ape king stated before he grabbed one of his swords from his back and thrust it towards the dragon egg. But at the last second, the hooded figure grabbed Gaul's sword, stopping him from hitting the egg.

"Are you mad!?" the hooded figure hollered. "You cannot force it to hatch. It takes patience, something you don't have." This just made the ape king even angrier. Gaul stared at the figure with a livid scowl, anger across his features. But just when he was about to holler back, he heard a loud _crack _sound. His head instantly turned towards the egg from the sudden noise. Both creatures stared at the egg as it started to move. It moved even more until another loud crack came, this time part of the egg breaking off.

"It appears you don't need to wait as long as it seemed you would. The egg is hatching and you will have your dragon," the figure spoke. "However, it still could take hours for it to fully hatch."

"I'm not waiting any longer!" Gaul snapped as he walked heavily towards the egg with his sword in his bony hand. Once he approached the crumbling egg, he reached his free hand toward the egg and thrust his bony hand right through the shell**. **He then grabbed the tiny hatchling and yanked it out of the egg. The unaware hatchling's first gasp of air turned into a yell as Gaul nearly suffocated it. The hooded figure was furious with the ape king, his red eyes starting to glow from the shadow of his hood. His anger toward the ape's action was tremendous.

"Gaul! Put that dragon back on the ground!" he shouted. Surprisingly, Gaul actually listened and placed the scared hatchling back on the ground. "You know how stupid that was!? You nearly killed the dragon we need for this war! You're lucky that you didn't injure or even kill it!"

"But I didn't, Rulock," Gaul replied angrily. He then set his glare back at the hatchling. It lay on the ground motionless, too weak to move, scared, as it didn't know what was going to happen.

"Yes, and you're lucky, but next time you pull a stupid move like that again… Let's just say you won't need to worry about that dragon," Rulock replied.

However, the ape king didn't listen to him. He continued to stare at the helpless dragon as it struggled just to move its head. He could see the fear in its eyes; it was hopeless with no one to help it. This brought great joy to the ape king. Then, Gaul reached out to grab the hatchling again, but just when he was about to grab it, the dragon managed to snap at the large ape and clamp its tiny jaws on his hand. Gaul gave a surprise yelp of pain as he retracted his hand back.

"That pathetic little runt bit me!" he hollered. All the other apes around in the catacombs laughed at their leader's reaction toa little bite from a hatchling. But little did they know, the young hatchling's teeth were razor sharp even though it just hatched. Gaul's features burned with frustration at the unaware hatchling. He tightened his hands into fists and gritted his teeth to the point where every ape in the catacombs could hear a faint grinding sound. His eyes darkened into an evil glare at the helpless dragon, staring at it as if he was going to murder it. He suddenly took his sword, then raised it high above his head. He took a few steps closer to the dragon and then started to drop his sword straight towards it.

However, just when his blade was only a near foot away, his sword was knocked out of his grip and shot several meters away. His gaze followed it in surprise, wondering what could have deflected it. He could see his large sword lying on the ground, but then noticed an arrow was on the ground next to it. Gaul immediately looked the other way and saw Rulock with a crossbow in his right hand aiming at the ape king, but it has already been fired.

"We didn't go all that way to steal a dragon egg and have you kill it," Rulock said angrily but kept his calm. "…You remember what our mission is and we stick to it…"

He paused for a moment as he brought his sight back on the confused hatchling. He then took his crossbow and replaced it on his back.

"Gaul, let's make a deal, shall we?" Rulock looked back at the ape king with his blood red eyes shining through the darkness of his cloak. "How 'bout I take care and train the dragon into a monstrous killer and you control all the apes and lead them in this upcoming war?" he said mysteriously as he walked around the ape king.

"Ha-ha, you make me laugh," Gaul said sarcastically. "I am the king of the apes. What more could I want?"

"…Power," Rulock slowly announced. "Right now you are just a king, nothing special about that. Yes, you have all the apes under your control but that's it. If you agree with me then you will be able to get all the power you want. Anything or anyone can be under your control, even this dragon… But it's your choice."

He finished speaking and stopped walking about a meter away from the hatchling. Gaul stared at the unknown figure, processing what he said. His eyes then wandered the cave-like room they were in, still in thought. Then, when his gaze settled on the scared dragon on the cold hard floor, his decision was made. He looked back at the hooded creature and gave a weak nod in agreement.

"Alright," he spoke.

The hooded figure then set his sights back on the terrified hatchling. He started to walk slowly towards it, crouching down lower to the ground as he came closer. He slowly extended his hand out through his cloak as he came closer to the dragon. For the first time ever, his hand was fully exposed from the cover of his robe. Everyone noticed his hand was different from the apes so they all knew he wasn't like them. His hand was a rough grayish-brown with five fingers, each with a deadly black claw on the end. But the most unusual feature of his hand was that it was covered in scales, reptile scales. This sent curious thoughts in all the apes in the room, including Gaul.

The little dragon slowly backed away from his approaching hand. After the first horrifying encounter with the hideous creature that smashed it out of its egg, there was no telling what this one was going to do. It continued to back away with a scared expression across its features as Rulock's hand came closer. Eventually, the small dragon hatchling hit a dead end and couldn't go any further because of a wall it bumped into.

With the dragon pinned against the wall and the approaching hand coming closer, the dragon's natural instincts kicked it. It was in a fight or flight situation and since it had nowhere to go, its only option was to fight. The hatchling squatted into a natural fighting stance with its tiny wings in the air, trying to look as intimidating as possible. It even growled. But alas, it wasn't enough for the hooded figure to turn away. He reached his hand at the dragon, but just when he was about to grab it, the dragon clamped its jaws on the unknown creature. However, what stunned everyone including the dragon was he didn't even flinch. The hatchling's fangs went through his hand and even drew blood, but he still did not move. It was as if he knew all along that the hatchling was going to bite him.

After a few moments, the tiny dragon finally let go of his hand. Although no one could see his face, he smiled by the dragon's response. Now that it had released his hand, he slowly reached out and gently picked up the hatchling and brought it close to his robe. The Dragon still was scared by its surroundings but one thing was for sure; it knew it could learn to trust the creature in the cloak.

"Now then, we must get started," Rulock suggested and slowly walked away into a dark room with the dragon in his arms until he vanished from sight.

***.*.***

"Wow… I-I didn't know you were… forced out of your egg. I feel so bad that you had to live in fear for all of those years," Spyro spoke in a grim tone. He finally knew the beginning of her ordeal, and he had never suspected that it was before she even hatched. He then flew closer to her and brushed the side of his body against hers in hope to calm her but did it in a way where he still could flap his wings. However, Cynder wasn't that upset. A part of her wanted to cry out but another part grew stronger and told her to stay relaxed. She stayed strong but she couldn't help but feel a little depressed by her past.

Then she focused on the purple dragon. She gave a light chuckle that only she could hear at how he was trying to sooth her. Even though she didn't feel that dejected, she let him continue as she liked the feeling.

"Thank you, Spyro," Cynder said

"So, about this 'Rulock' guy, did he hurt you?" Spyro asked worriedly but with a hint of anger. He didn't know if this unknown figure hurt his dragoness even more than she went through.

"Actually, no. He didn't hurt me in any way. He was the one I could really trust, but I was still living a hard, cruel life," Cynder replied. She turned her head away from the purple dragon and started to stare at the land to her side. Spyro paused for a few moments, debating if he should continue pressing for more information or let it go. But deep down he wanted to know the full story. He wanted to hear what else she suffered so he could make sure it would never happen to her again.

"What else happened?" Spyro asked timidly.

Cynder didn't say a word for a few seconds. This made the purple dragon worry that he had pushed too far and feared that she would become depressed by the thoughts of her dreadful past. However, she simply turned her sights back on the purple dragon and spoke, but not without getting choked up slightly from her memories.

"I-I'm sorry, Spyro. I cannot speak about it anymore, at least at the moment anyway," she sighed. Spyro just smiled, understanding everything the black dragoness was telling him and it didn't take him long for him to answer back.

"Don't worry about it, Cynder. You told me enough for me to understand how you lived in the past and when you're ready to talk some more, I'll be here for you," the purple dragon assured her.

"Thank you, Spyro. I know I can rely on you," Cynder smiled. This only made the purple dragon smile back at his companion and fly even closer to her, but giving enough space so their wings wouldn't collide with each other.

A few more hours had passed and now dusk started to set on the peaceful day they shared. By now they had flown for several hours, and their bodies were aching and their wings felt like they were going to fall off at any moment from their constant flying. Nevertheless, they continued to push themselves to gain as much ground as they could at one time. However, Spyro could hear Cynder panting very hard from exhaustion. This made the purple dragon even more concerned.

"Cynder, are you ok? Do you want us to rest for the night?" Spyro asked.

"No…" Cynder announced. "I'm fine, I can continue on a little bit further."

In truth she did feel a bit of pain aching from her right side; a cramp of exhaustion from flying for so long, something she hadn't done since she was enslaved by The Dark Master. Her body couldn't take the constant flight for much longer but her mind kept her going even further.

A few minutes passed by and out of nowhere a cold front rolled in, cooling the air down dramatically. Now, Spyro could see where the cold front came from, and it was right in front of him; something big, dark and coming fast. He looked at Cynder to ask if she saw what was in front of them, but by the expression on her features he knew that she was fully aware of it.

What lay in front of them was a massive dark cloud rolling toward them at a rapid speed. The cloud covered the land in the distance in a heavy sheet of rain, powerful wind, and dangerous bolts of lightning. The tall fluffy clouds were dark as night, bringing darkness to the dusk of the day. They both looked at each other with a bit of fear on their features. The oncoming storm that rolled in faster than they expected grew bigger and bigger every passing second. The sun that had started to drop under the mountains disappeared behind the massive storm. This brought complete darkness to where the two young dragons were flying. Luckily, dragons had superior eyesight than most creatures, so flying in the dark wasn't much of a challenge. However, flying at night in a severe lightning storm with blinding rain would make flying almost impossible.

"I think we'll be able to get that break we wanted," Spyro announced.

"I agree with you. We should find some shelter before this storm gets any worse," Cynder suggested. Spyro nodded his head in agreement and both dragons started to descend closer to the earth. But as soon as they descended down to twenty-five meters away from the ground, the massive clouds opened up and dropped a heavy sheet of rain all through the lands. The two dragons were instantly soaked from rain as it ran down their bodies as if they just came out of a lake. They both continued to descend lower to the ground for their best chance to avoid the crackling lightning that lit up the sky for a split second. But with the sheets of rain coming harder and harder, it was a constant struggle to avoid any obstacles now that they were only about thirty feet off the ground.

"We need to get out of this storm fast!" Spyro shouted through the howling wind. "It's getting far too dangerous to be out here, even on the ground let alone flying."

They both continued to fly into the storm and against the wind in search for shelter, not even knowing what was in front of them until they were right on it. The driving rain stung their bodies as it was propelled even faster by the intense winds.

They flew side by side as close as they could get to each other so they wouldn't lose each other in the storm. They stuck together throughout the whole storm, no matter how long it would take. More lightning flashes lit up the sky but they couldn't tell how close each strike was. All the flashes of lightning appeared to look the same and with the rain covering each bolt, they couldn't tell how close they were to them.

A few more minutes passed by and the storm continued to get worse. Everything seemed to turn against them as they dodged tall trees and nearly missing lightning bolts. The wind wasn't any advantage to the young dragons, and they struggled hard just to maintain in flight. Their torturous ordeal wasn't letting up any time soon, as if it was only the beginning of their problems. However, hope was closer than they thought when Cynder noticed a faint dark opening in the side of a cliff edge.

"Spyro! Spyro, look!" Cynder shouted over the roaring thunder and pointed her talon towards to what she thought was a small cave of some sort. "Please tell me you see it too?" she asked, hoping she wasn't seeing an illusion. Spyro squinted his eyes to where she was pointing but didn't see anything at first. But after he blinked the water droplets out of his eyes, he could see a faint dark image on the side of the cliff.

"Yes! Yes, I see it too. I-it…looks like a…a cave," Spyro stuttered as he tried to get a better glance at the possible hole in the cliff wall.

They set their course towards the possible sighting but with a struggle. Each flap they took with their wings was a constant battle against the wind just to stay airborne. It was clear to them that where they were trying to go was against the wind, which made flying a lot more difficult for the two young dragons. But despite the attempts from the fearsome wind, they were reaching closer to the cave-like sighting but a lot slower than they would have liked. It seemed that the wind and a day's worth of exhaustion played a role on their flying but nevertheless, they weren't giving up.

Spyro groaned as the tiny water droplet hit his muzzle like razor-sharp blades tearing into his flesh. He also wondered how his companion, Cynder, was holding up. He looked to his side but there was no sign of her. Then he looked completely behind him but again, no black dragoness. This worried the purple dragon, but when his sights faced upon what was in front of him, he was surprised to see his black dragoness a few meters ahead of him. He was worried that she would have a hard time to keep up but he was shocked that the tables were turned. Now he was the one that had to catch up.

Even though it wasn't the time, her small act brought a small smile across the purple dragon's muzzle. But soon it faded away as reality sank in with the brutal storm.

"Cynder, we need to pick up the pace. This storm is getting worse; the wind is becoming too strong for us to fly any longer," Spyro said, exhaustion in his voice. He could see that Cynder was having trouble flying now. He also could hear her breathing, telling him that she was just as tired as he was.

"I-I'm on it," Cynder replied. She then gathered the rest of her strength and tried to fly faster. But alas, the wind was far too strong for the slender dragoness so she barely made a difference in her flight speed. Spyro, however, was able to fly even faster despite his aching body and flew up to the black dragoness but stayed a near five meters away. However, just when they were about one hundred meters away from the dark spot on the cliff they saw, Spyro noticed something in front of them and closing in fast. It appeared to be long and thin to the purple dragon.

Then it hit him. The object was a long and tall wooden pole directly in front of the two dragons' path. His eyes widened when he realized what it was and quickly turned to Cynder. She still was unaware of what lay ahead. This sent even more shock and fear through the purple dragon.

"Cynder! Look out!" Spyro shouted and dove towards the unaware black dragoness.

"Huh?" Cynder replied, confused. She looked back in front of her, and it was only then that she noticed the large pole right in her way. Cynder's eyes widened when she knew what it was, but it was too late. She couldn't move fast enough to clear the pole.

She was going to ram it head on.

She closed her eyes, bracing for impact. Then she felt something hit her, but it wasn't what she was expecting. The black dragoness then opened her eyes again and saw that Spyro had rammed her in her right flank, pushing her out of the way of the unexpected pole. She was relived and surprised by how fast Spyro's reactions were, unable to figure out how he did hit so fast. But nonetheless, she was thankful he did.

"Thanks, Spyro. I-I owe you one," Cynder stuttered. Spyro just gave her a loving smile in reply. "Where the heck did that come from?"

"I have no idea, but that was too close for my comfort," he spoke.

"But how did you move so fast? By the time I saw it, I thought for sure I'd hit it," she questioned

"I used my dragon time. Haven't used that in years."

"Thank you," Cynder finished quietly.

They then continued towards the cave. Now they were close enough to tell that it was indeed a cave and it wasn't small either. This sent joy through the two dragons. They struggled with their flying for a little longer and finally, they were so close to the entrance.

"All…most…there," Spyro groaned from exhaustion.

Finally, after hours of constant flight and a brutal storm, their paws hit the soft, cold cave floor. Their aching wing could once again rest for the night. Both dragons gave a sigh of relief that they were out of the violent thunderstorm. Also with their sigh was a pant of exhaustion. They had flown continuously for twelve hours straight, the most they had ever pushed their bodies to go in one day's time.

Both Spyro and Cynder turned around and faced the entrance of the cave and the outside. The wind roared loudly, the lightning flashed blindingly, and the thunder shook the cave walls. Even the rain didn't let up, continuing to fall in a band of white sheets, saturating the ground and overflowing the rivers beyond their banks. The two dragons just stared with blank expressions on their muzzles as they considered what could have happened to either one of them if the storm had gotten worse. A near minute passed and not one of them said a word, but then Spyro cracked his jaws to finally break the silence.

"Can you believe we flew through that?" Spyro asked in awe.

"Yeah, that was too close," Cynder replied without even looking at the purple dragon. But after a few seconds, she looked to her right at him before speaking again.

"Let's not do that again. Ok?"

Spyro cracked a smiled that was barely noticeable to the black dragoness and also paused before speaking.

"Agreed." He gave a firm nod.

"So what do we do now?" Cynder asked as she turned around and looked into the dark cave. Spyro quickly did the same.

"I don't know. I guess we could follow it and see where it goes?" Spyro suggested and gave Cynder a questioning look.

"I-I'm not sure about that. What if there are more grublins like what we saw before in here? I don't know if I could fight them in my state of form."

Inside, Cynder believed that the cave was probably clear. However, something in her gut told her that something, or someone was in the cave.

"Don't worry, Cynder. If there were any grublins in here, we would see light from their torches way before we see them or they see us. We will know before then," Spyro spoke, hoping to ease the black dragoness's mind. "And besides, I don't see any trace of any grublins here."

"I suppose you're right. Shall we continue on?" Cynder asked while rising a paw and pointing it into the cave. Spyro looked at her with a puzzled look and he too raised his paw, motioning for her to go first.

"Ladies first," Spyro replied.

Cynder's expression immediately hardened at what the purple dragon said. She stared at him with her piercing emerald eyes, unhappy with his remark. However, unlike other dragons that would be terrified by her stare, Spyro couldn't help but chuckle, amused by her reaction. However, Cynder couldn't understand what was so funny and gave him a confused look.

"What's so funny?" Cynder spoke rather demandingly.

"Oh nothing. It's just the way you reacted just seemed a little funny, that's all." But again, Cynder's expression was still puzzled.

"Funny how?" she asked again curiously.

"Well, the first time I saw you, I didn't know how to react to your expression but now I kinda like it," Spyro replied with his usual goofy smile and nudged the side of Cynder's muzzle in an affectionate way.

"Oh, well, thank you. Now can we continue into the cave?" Cynder asked.

"Oh, yeah, sorry, got a little sidetracked," Spyro apologized and turned his head away in embarrassment. Cynder was the first to enter the cave with the purple dragon trailing behind with obvious embarrassment still on his features.

"It sounds like you have been with Volteer for too long," Cynder said back to the purple dragon. Spyro's head shot up when Cynder mentioned the electricity guardian. He thought about it for a few moments and realized she was right.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Spyro chuckled. Cynder also laughed.

They stared into the cold, dark cave as if they were staring at a pair of grublins, unsure if it would be safe or a trap. However, they walked even further into the dark passage, despite what they thought could be lurking in the shadows of the dark. Every instinct in their bodies told them they weren't alone, that someone or something was in with them further down.

"Spyro, I don't like this feeling," Cynder said.

"Same with me, Cynder," he replied. "But let's walk down a little further. Maybe our nerves will settle."

"Uh, ok," she agreed but stuttered in her words.

Side by side, the two dragons ventured ever deeper into the darkness, wondering with every step what they might find ahead...

***.*.***

A young black dragon slumbered quietly next to his injured brother. After their previous harrowing experience, they turned in early and settled down in their dream realm. Zackary breathed softly as his mind—as well as his body—was at ease. However, all was about to change when suddenly, a cringe in his gut slowly woke the sleeping black dragon.

He groaned loudly and his eyes started to twitch. Once his eyes opened fully, he blinked a few times to focus them from his sleep. The black dragon raised his head and looked around but didn't see anything because of the darkness in the cave. Zackary then rose to his paws and stretched out his front forearms. He opened his jaws as wide as he could in a yawn with his tongue sticking out, curling upwards.

Once he finished his stretch, he sighed in relief as his joints popped back in aliment, sending a comforting feeling to his mind and through his body. His eyes had now adjusted to the darkness and he was able to see his surroundings around him but it was still hard for him to see long distances. He looked toward his older brother and saw he was sound asleep. This made the black dragon smile a little at how peaceful he looked. His sights then settled upon his brother's right forearm. He sighed with guilt

"I sure hope your leg will heal faster," Zackary whispered.

Just after he spoke, he heard a faint sound. Immediately, his head recoiled to the left towards the hall of the cave where he heard the noise. Zackary's stomach churned and the thought of a possible intruder was the first thing that entered his mind. He immediately turned toward his brother, and with his right paw, he started to shake the red dragon to wake him up.

Singe moaned and groaned but never woke up. "Come on, Singe, wake…up," Zackary spoke. But still no answer. The black dragon knew there was another way to wake him but he really didn't want to do it. But at this point, with a possible intruder entering their cave, he knew he had to do it.

Zackary looked at his older brother's right forearm and gave a sigh. "You made me do this," the black dragon said. He then closed his eyes and lightly, with his forepaw, tapped his brother's injured arm.

Singe's eyes snapped wide open as a wave of pain flowed through his body. He started to shout out in pain but his younger brother covered his maw with his paws, silencing his cries. Once Singe's forearm stopped throbbing, Zackary released his hold on his brother. The black dragon could see the pain and anger across his brother's features and now he felt really bad for what he had done.

"Zackary! Why must you do that!? I—" He was suddenly cut short.

"Shhhh! Please stop shouting!" Zackary hissed. "I heard something outside the cave hall and I think it might be an intruder."

"Oh, well why did you hurt me to get me up?" Singe questioned as his voice started to climb.

"I'm sorry, Singe, but I couldn't get you up and that was the only way I could. Be mad at me later." Zackary then ran over to the nearest torch that was mounted to the wall of the cave and grabbed it. "Here, light this torch so I can see if someone or something is actually here."

Singe's thoughts were still disordered and his mind hadn't fully woken up yet. He then spat a tiny fireball at the torch and lit it, but after he did his thoughts started to clear and his eyes grew big.

"Whoa, whoa, where do you think you're going, little brother?" Singe asked.

"I'm going to check the cave out," he answered.

"No you're not. If there is something in here, which I doubt, you're not going alone and you are NOT going to bring a torch," Singe protested

"Why can't I bring a torch with me?"

"Because then whoever is here will know you are coming, and you wouldn't have a chance to fight if necessary," Singe finished.

"Good point," Zackary agreed. He didn't admitting his brother was right, but at this point he knew he had no choice. It would be just stupid to bring a torch.

"Besides, you have the bright blue crystals on the walls to help you see."

"Yeah…but you're not coming with me, you're hurt," the black dragon said firmly.

"Zack, I'm coming whether you like it or not," Singe insisted.

"Bu—"

"But nothing. I may be hurt but I can still walk and kick ass with three legs. And let's not forget my wiz of an element," the older dragon said stubbornly. Singe smiled at his younger brother, which caused Zackary to smile back. His hard-headedness was too much for his pleading.

"You are so stubborn!" Zackary said exasperatedly. He took a deep breath before speaking again. "Oh, ok, let's go."

Zackary then helped his elder brother rise to his feet so they can begin their way through the cave hall, in search of what they think is an intruder.

***.*.***

"Wow, Spyro, look at these blue crystals," Cynder said in awe as she stared at the bright, glowing crystals. "They look just like the spirit gems but these have no effect to us."

"You're right, but they still look amazing," Spyro too said in awe.

He was surprised that there were crystals other than the spirit gems that glowed. Spyro looked to his right at the black dragoness. The dim light from the crystals glistened off of her beautiful scales, creating a dark purple-like color, something the purple dragon loved. Spyro couldn't help but stare with his usual goofy smile, and when Cynder looked at him, she chuckled and smiled at his reaction. After a few more laughs from Cynder, Spyro finally realized that he was staring and quickly looked away. His muzzle burned with embarrassment, but it was hardly noticeable.

"This place is breathtaking. I think I can stay here for a few days," Cynder said. "…Unless, you want to leave sooner."

"No, no, we can stay for a while. We must rest anyway. Who knows how much further we have to go until we reach Warfang," Spyro replied.

Both dragons didn't say another word afterthat; they were amazed by how beautiful the cave was. They walked slowly because they weren't in any hurry. But then, something caught the black dragoness's eye.

"Hey, Spyro. Check that out." She pointed a talon even further into the cave. "Isn't that astonishing?"

"Whoa, it seems the crystals get thicker in a cluster up ahead."

"Yeah, let's go check it out," Cynder said and they both continued to walk even closer.

A few more minute passed by, in which time they drew very close to the cluster. However, just as they rounded the corner to where the patch of crystals was, they looked ahead of them and jolted back suddenly in shock, becoming frozen in place with their eyes growing as wide as can be. There, standing face to face with them, were two more dragons.

* * *

><p><strong>And I end there. (Clear thoat... Swiching to evil Adam Savage voice.)<strong>

**MHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! I end there! Mhaha! You thought there will be more no? Haha! Well, you thought wrong. MHAHAHAH! You see, I knew you were getting into the mood, I could see it with my own eyes... But, as evil as I am, I cut the story short with a massive cliffhanger! MHAHAHA! Ond now, you must wait for my next update! HAHAHA! I am so evil, that it makes me laugh. MHAHAHAHAHAH!...MHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!**

**(Switching back to my nice self.)**

**Sorry, my dark side took over for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. **

**So, what do you think this means for my OC's to meet the legendary purple dragon? Will it be pleasent? Or disastrous? Will that nightmare Zackary had have meant something? It's hard to tell.**

**Well, that's it for me.**

**Til next time.**


	9. Chapter 8

**And I'm back, FINALLY! Sorry, had a lot on my plate again, but it's finally done. Oh, and great news, I'm finally back into my story writing mood again so this means possible faster updates. YAY! ^^ My plan it to get the next chapter up two weeks from now. (I hope) **

**uh, oh, thanks to all who are reading, reviewing, and faving this, I deeply appreciate it. :D um...not sure what to say...oh well, on with the chapter.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8<p>

All four dragons froze like statues. No one flexed a muscle. Spyro and Cynder stared at the unexpected dragons with complete shock and a touch of apprehension in their eyes; they didn't know if they should run, or fight, or just do nothing. They were unsure if the other dragons would attack them. Their hearts pounded against their chest and the cringe in their stomachs tightened. Spyro and Cynder started to back away slowly with their eyes locked on the two mid-size dragons. However, as they were doing so, Cynder noticed the larger red dragon holding his right paw in the air. Cynder instantly knew the dragon was injured, and stopped her slow retreat. She then looked over to Spyro and spoke quietly.

"Spyro, he's injured." She guessed it was a he by the look of his features. Spyro looked and noticed it too.

"You're right," he spoke softly. Cynder took a step closer but the red dragon showed his teeth and gave an intimidating growl. The black dragoness stopped and backed up even further.

"Don't come any closer," the red dragon threatened. He stared at the intruders with his glowing blueeyes.

"Please, we're not here to hurt you," Spyro spoke quietly

"Then why are you here?" the larger dragon questioned with a suspicious voice. "Dragons haven't been here in over a decade."

"We-we're kinda lost," Spyro stuttered.

"Lost? Ha. You think I'm going to fall for that?" the other dragon snorted."Now tell me, where did you really come from?"

Spyro paused for a few moments. He was curious why this dragon would ask these questions but nonetheless, he answered anyway.

"Well, we just came from 'The Mountain of Malefor.' We were trapped there for two days," Spyro replied.

"What?" The red dragon shouted. "The Mountain of Malefor? B-b-but that means…you must be…you're the legendary purple dragon?" Singe asked because he couldn't tell what color his scales were, but now that he asked, he could make out a purple other than a dark blue from the crystal light.

The purple dragon gave a firm nod in confirmation. The red dragon's jaw hung open a little; he was so shocked that he and his brother was standing in front of the dragon that saved everyone from the disintegrating of the world. The same dragon Singe could only dream of meeting.

The purple dragon looked at his companion and smiled before looking back at the red dragon. "Yes, my name is Spyro."

Instantly, the younger black dragon's eyes grew wide in shock and a faint gasp could be heard. He was full of happiness to know that this was no ordinary dragon, but the legendary _purple _dragon who saved to whole world. But then he looked over to his companion. His eyes nearly bulged out of his eyes sockets when he noticed under the dim, blue light that it was a black dragoness. But not just any black dragoness; the same black dragoness from his nightmare. Cynder, 'The Terror of the Skies.'

His heart pounded against his rib cage, his nerves twitched, and his natural instincts kicked in and told him to run. However, he couldn't run. He was in shock and all he could do was back away slowly with a scared expression.

"I-I apologize for my behavior," Singe told them. "My brother and I have always dreamed of meeting you. We—" He trailed off when he noticed his brother with complete terror on his features and backing away slowly. He was puzzled as to why.

"Zackary? What's wrong?" Singe asked, worried. But he didn't get an answer.

"Zack!" He said more firmly.

"T-t-that's, C-Cynder."

Singe hesitated, puzzled. "What?" he questioned. Then helooked over to the two dragons quickly. "That can't be Cynder."

"…How did you know that?" Cynder questioned. _How could this younger dragon know who I am? How could he tell right away when no one has seen me in my younger form?_ The thoughts rushed into Cynder's mind. She then started to take a step closer but suddenly was frightened by the younger black dragon.

"Stay back!" he shouted. "Please,don't kill me!"

"What?" all three dragons said in unison.

"She's not going to kill you," Singe said as he started to walk a few steps towards his brother.

"She's in disguise. She's The Terror of the Skies. She's going to kill us!" Zackary shouted. He didn't waste any more time and turned around, facing the back of the cave. Then in fear, he ran as fast as he could deeper into the cave and further away from the black dragoness as much as possible.

Singe couldn't understand what was going on with his brother. He looked back and forth between the other dragons and where his brother had run off, confused and unsure what to do.

"I-I'm sorry," he apologized, "I-I'll be right back." Then he too ran into the cave. However, just as he started to run back, he felt a sharp pain flow up his leg and he collapsed head first onto the stone floor. He hollered out in pain because of his right forepaw; he had completely forgotten about his injury.

Spyro and Cynder rushed over to help him but there was only little they could do. "Are you alright?" Cynder asked in fear at the sight of his collapse.

"No, Ah! I-I injured my right forearm earlier today," the red dragon spoke with gritted teeth.

Cynder felt sympathy for the red dragon growing inside her. If only there was something she could do. Then it hit her. She had discovered the power to heal on Spyro. Maybe she could do it on this dragon, if she remembered how to do it. The black dragoness then looked over to the purple dragon. Spyro gave her a strange look when he saw her staring at him but soon realized the reason. He then gave her a nod in agreement. Cynder waited almost as if she was asking for permission but she just wanted him to know what she was going to do.

Cynder then sat down next to the red dragon. "Hey, uh?"

"Singe," he replied

"Singe, I'm going to help you. Where does it hurt?" she asked

The red dragon then pointed with his left talon where his injury was. Cynder didn't do anything else. She didn't feel if he had a broken bone or anything. She just closed her eyes and dropped her heart rate. She didn't know exactly what she was doing but she just let her natural instincts kick in and it seemed to work. Just like the last time, the sounds around her went silent, and she could feel the warm and cooling sensation build and rise up.

In the other dragons' view, they both saw a purple aura swirling around the black dragoness. Spyro knew what she was doing but to the red dragon, he had no clue what was happening. This scared Singe and he started to squirm to get away but then the purple dragon spoke.

"It's ok; you're not in any danger. She's trying to help you, just let it happen." The red dragon didn't know if he should believe in the purple dragon but something told him to do so and he did.

Cynder felt the two sensations collide together inside of her. This meant to her it was time. She then pressed her snout on the red dragon's forearm but not too tightly. Cynder felt the energy flow through her and into the dragon. Singe felt a sharp pain through his arm and he gave a quick yelp but soon the pain was extinguished by the healing of his arm.

Cynder felt the sensation and the silence fade away so she backed up slowly. However—unlike last time—she didn't feel dizzy. Not even a little drained. This surprised the black dragoness a little that she has already gotten stronger with her new ability.

Singe stared at the black dragoness as the aura faded away. He couldn't believe what just happened. He then looked back at his forepaw. He picked his arm up and extended it, then moved it back and forth several times but didn't feel a thing.

He was healed.

Singe couldn't believe what had just happened. He just witnessed another dragon _heal_ his injured forepaw, something he had never heard, seen, or let alone imagined was possible. Now that the black dragoness had backed away from the red dragon, he then stood up on all four paws. He looked at his paw as he applied pressure and even stomped on it a few times, but he felt no pain. He then set his gaze back to the other dragons.

"How did you…How could you…Thank you." That was all the red dragon could say, completely stunned by this amazing miracle.

"It was nothing. Do you feel better?" Cynder asked.

"Better?" he blurted out. He then realized he shouted it and calmed his excitement. "I feel no pain… You healed me, but how?"

"…I honestly don't know, it just…came to me, I guess," Cynder answered.

Singe didn't reply; he was still in shock over what had happened. Then he thought about what his brother said. 'Cynder' still rang in his mind. He didn't believe his brother at first, but then he remembered when the black dragoness said he was right, and he didn't know what to believe. However, after a few more moments, Singe finally spoke up.

"So…was my…brother right…when he said that y-you are…Cynder?" He hesitated, trying to think of a nice way saying it. He thought back to when his brother ran off scared. It almost made sense now, but there were still gaps that had to be filled.

Cynder looked at the ground where her paws were. Then she gave a heavy sigh before nodding her head. Singe's heart sank. His brother was right; this was 'The Terror of the Skies.'

"Unfortunately, yes, I am," the black dragoness said. "But I'm not proud of the things I've done."

Singe's heart sank even more when she answered. His eyes grew wide and he started to back away slowly, but he soon stopped. Something still didn't make sense. Clearly this was Cynder, but what happened to her massive size? Her voice doesn't sound threatening. And finally, what confused the red dragon the most: Why did she heal him?

Every instinct in his body told him to run, but something told him he wasn't in any danger. Should he listen to this feeling or was it a trick? He didn't want to take a chance, but he still had questions.

"Why did you heal me?" he snapped unexpectedly with his teeth showing and in a fighting stance, worried it was a trick. Cynder didn't speak for a few moments.

"…Because you were hurt, and I couldn't let you suffer," she said.

"Then why did you kill thousands of lives?" Singe asked

"I was tricked…" she spoke with her head sagging, "I was raised by The Dark Master. I didn't know what was right or wrong. That is, until Spyro freed me from his powers." Singe's expression saddened from the beginning of her story. "And now I look back to all the things I've done, the lives I took, and I realize that what I have done was wrong… Everyday I feel guilt, everyday I am questioned about it, and now, after three years, I still feel regret." Once she finished, Spyro draped a wing over the black dragoness and licked the fresh tears from her muzzle. Then he rested his head against hers.

Singe stood there in shock. He actually felt for the black dragoness. He now knew what the rest of the story of The Terror of the Skies was. The thought of this being a trick seemed to vanish, and most of his instincts told him he could trust her. He tried to speak to say something but didn't know what was right to say.

"I-I'm sorry… I-I didn't know… I didn't know that was what happened," he stuttered. He didn't say anything more for a while, but then he thought about his brother. He had to go get him.

"I'm sorry, but I got to go check on my brother. I-I'll be back," he finished as he started to run away further into the cave until he vanished into the darkness.

"You ok, Cynder?" Spyro asked, still with his head against hers.

"I-I'm fine." She was crying but tried not to show it.

"I'm sorry you had to go through this," Spyro apologized and kissed her on the side of her muzzle.

A few more moments pasted since the red dragon left and Cynder started to feel a little better. She then moved away from the purple dragon. This caught the purple dragon off guard when she moved away so quickly.

"Cynder, what's wrong?" Spyro asked worriedly.

"Wha-? Oh, sorry, nothing." She paused for a few moments, then said, "I was just thinking about what the other dragon said. What do you think he meant when he said I was in… 'disguise'? How did he even know I was…_that_ in this poor lighting? I don't even look like my evil self, do I?"

"No, no, not at all… Well, maybe a little."

"Well, thanks for the understatement," she spoke, a little discouraged.

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Spyro announced. "It's hard for me to say because I have been with you ever since."

"True, but something doesn't make any sense," she said thoughtfully. "That dragon knows something, but I can't quite figure it out just yet."

Spyro listened but didn't know how to respond, but after a few moments he opened his maw to answer. "Shall we continue and catch up with them?

"I-I don't know, maybe we should give them a little time first?" Cynder asked while she looked at the purple dragon with a question waiting to be answered.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Shall we walk slowly then?"

Cynder didn't say a word; she just smiled and pressed her body against his and they slowly walked down the poorly lit cave.

*.*.*

Zackary curled up into a ball in the corner of their room. He couldn't control his body as it shook rapidly from fear. Tears slowly ran down his muzzle, fearing that Cynder would find him and end his life. He felt guilty for leaving his injured brother behind with a terrifying beast like Cynder. Even though Singe was a great fighter, he wouldn't stand a chance against The Terror of The Skies with a wounded forearm, or even if he was fully healed. He cried harder at the thought of what Cynder could do to his brother. Zackary just listened for the cries of the purple dragon and his brother, but he didn't hear anything.

But then, all of a sudden, Zackary heard paws padding against the stone floor. The sound was getting close. The black dragon pushed out more tears from his eyes as he thought the black dragoness was coming to get him. Now, as the sound grew even closer, he could hear claws clanging against the stone floor at a rapid rate, as if something was running. Zackary couldn't do anything but lay there as he was about to see his nightmare come to life. The black dragon had a wing over his body to protect him as much as possible, knowing that it wouldn't help. He also had his wing over his head so he couldn't see the monstrous beast, but nevertheless he shifted his wing back to his flank so he could still see a little of the cave entrance.

Surprisingly, instead of seeing a massive black dragoness standing over him, he saw a familiar red dragon running towards him with a concerned look on his features.

"There you are," the red dragon said with relief as he walked up to his younger brother, out of breath.

"Singe!" Zackary shouted as he realized it was his brother and the black dragoness didn't hurt him. He then jumped up off the ground and directly at his brother, wrapping himself around Singe in a somewhat hug. Singe nearly fell backwards from the weight of his brother hitting him but managed to catch himself before he did.

"I thought she killed you, Singe," Zackary said while he looked at his brother. He then buried his muzzle into the red dragon's chest. "I thought she killed you."

"What!? What are you talking about? No one is going to kill me," Singe said, shocked by what his brother said.

"Cynder…" His voice was muffled as he still had his muzzle pressed against the red dragon's chest. "That's Cynder, Singe. I recognize that form of her from my nightmare a few days ago. She grew to her massive size and killed the purple dragon, and then she tried to kill me. She's trying to trick us."

Instantly, Singe knew the rest of the story, now understanding what his little brother had dreamt about. He had known that Zackary had dreamt about Cynder but nothing else, but now he knew why he ran off, and now he knew that was indeed Cynder. But something still confused the red dragon: Why and how did he dream that? Singe soon snapped back into reality and looked back at his younger brother.

"Zack, she's not trying to trick us, trust me," Singe spoke.

"Yes she is, Singe. She is going to kill us," Zackary said as more tears started to fall from his eyes.

"Zack, I talked to them after you left, and you're right, she is Cynder."

"I told you! I—" He was suddenly cut short as his brother barged in.

"Let me finish! Anyway, I started to run back after you but I collapsed because of my injured forearm. She told me that you were right, she was Cynder; I started to snap and ask questions. I asked why she was here, what did they want. I wanted to strike until I heard the true story behind The Terror of the Skies…" He stopped to take a breath. "Zack, the stories we heard of Cynder, they were all true but incomplete. We didn't know what else happened to her."

"I still don't trust her." Zack spat.

"I know you still don't, I know what she did to our family. I know how hurt we felt, but sometimes we just need to look forward," Singe spoke.

"And how do you know she's not lying?" Zackary blurted out.

"I-I don't know…" he trailed off. "But some things you just have to believe, and I believe she's telling the truth."

Zackary still seemed unconvinced. The red dragon then looked at his paw—the same paw that was injured—and then, instantly, a thought came to him. "Zack, look." The red dragon then raised his paw up a little for his brother to see. "See, she healed me. Now why would a killer do that? Why would a killer heal a victim?" the red dragon asked with a grin on his muzzle.

The black dragon's head shot up as he studied his brother's forearm. Sure enough, it was healed. He couldn't believe it. How was it possible? He never heard of a dragon with the ability to heal before.

"Wha? H-how?" That was all Zackary could say; he was shocked.

"I told you, Cynder saw I was hurt and healed me." His brother still looked in shock, but Singe noticed he wasn't cutting in with another 'I don't trust her' saying so he proceeded on. "I was scared at first and didn't know how to react but once it was all over, I didn't feel any more pain."

Zackary was still silent for a long time, bug finally he managed to say, "B-but why would she do that?"

Singe took a long pause. "…Because she wasn't truly evil...I told you before, Cynder isn't The Terror of the Skies as we knew. There's more to that story than we knew. I'm telling you, Zack, she's not evil," Singe progressed on.

"Then why was she monstrous?" Zackary asked, still unsure if to believe in his brother or his dream.

"Because she was raised by The Dark Master, but now she is free from that life. You need to trust me."

Zackary then looked around the poorly lit cave. Now he didn't know what to believe. His mind started to hurt as a million thoughts flowed through his head at once. Who was right? Or, what was right?

"I-I'm sorry, Singe, but I still have my doubts." Although he was surprised she healed his brother, he still wasn't sure if he should believe she wasn't evil anymore. He kept thinking back to his dream, where she tricked the purple dragon by acting like she was nice, but only to turn against him. He still didn't trust her as this could still be part of her plan.

Just then, Singe was about to reply to his brother's decision when suddenly, they heard claws clanging against the stone floor. Both dragons looked at the hallway of the cave and noticed, out of the shadows, two more dragons entered. They were Spyro and Cynder.

Singe didn't even flinch but his brother took precaution as his muscles tightened. From the sight of the black dragoness, the black dragon slowly crouched down low to the ground and backed up closer to the cave wall. Cynder noticed the young dragon was still scared so she slowly backed away a little further from Spyro to give the black dragon some comfort. Spyro also noticed the young, frightened dragon and understood why Cynder backed off.

"I'm sorry, are we interrupting?" Spyro asked. Singe looked at his brother and saw he was back in the corner.

"No, no, not at all," Singe answered. "Please, come in."

The two visitors walked in the somewhat small room and looked around. They noticed there wasn't much to it. It just seemed like a normal cave, nothing for two young dragons to live in. After a short walk, the two new dragons sat down on their hunches close to the red dragon who also sat down. However, the black dragon was still a few meters away from the group, still in a ball in the corner of the room-like cave.

None of the dragons said a word to each other; they all just sat there, except for Zackary who lay in the corner, now shaking from fear. It wasn't much longer when Cynder broke the silence.

"I-is your brother ok?" She asked timidly.

Singe then looked to his right and saw his younger brother. He almost seemed sad by the position he was in but Singe could tell his eyes showed fear. "Yeah, he had a bad experience a few nights ago and is a little frightened."

"…I know what he is afraid of," Cynder announced. Singe had a puzzled look to the black dragoness words.

"What?" That was all Singe could say.

Cynder then dropped her head towards the ground in shame before saying. "…Me…he doesn't trust me."

"H-how can you tell that?" Singe wondered.

"I can tell when someone is frightened; I know what it looks like." Cynder remembered the looks of dragons when she was enslaved. She knew what true fear was, and she mastered the sights for it, almost as if it was a tool to hunt for defenseless dragons, something she was trained in her early years of life.

Spyro slowly draped a wing around the black dragoness and pulled her close to him, in hope to comfort her. Cynder loved the feel of the purple dragon's wing over her; she loved the warmth it brought. She gave him a quick smile but it was soon to disperse. Even though Spyro got a semi-smile, he still could tell she was feeling dreadful. There was something the black dragoness knew and was keeping from Spyro and the other dragons; this, he could detect.

"…I'm sorry you had to go through that, live the life you had." Singe didn't know what to say, he thought what he said could cheer her up but it didn't work.

"It's ok, it's just…" She trailed off for a few moments. "It's just, where ever I go, I'm always brought up as the killer I used to be, the thing I never asked for. They don't know what it's like."

No one said another word; all dragons lay in their place for a few more minutes. Zackary was still in the corner with his head resting on his paws, constantly staring at the black dragoness, watching her every move, a good five meters away from the other dragons. A few more moments flew by and Spyro finally broke the silence.

"H-how long have you and your brother been living here?" Spyro asked.

Singe looked at his younger brother and back at the purple dragon before speaking. "About ten years."

"What?" Spyro and Cynder spoke in unison to his answer; both were completely stunned by how long they both lived here, but the next question was, were they alone?

"You've been staying here for a decade?" Spyro asked. Singe gave a firm nod to his question. "You at least have family living with you, right?" Spyro hoped to hear a yes; two dragons at about the same age as them living in a cave for ten years by themselves just sounded preposterous. However, he didn't receive the answer he was hoping.

"…Actually, no…our family is…dead." Singe paused for a moment as he tried not to get saddened. "They were killed ten years ago by…" He cut himself short before he could finish the sentence. He didn't want to tell them now, not when Cynder was there.

"Singe, what's wrong?" Cynder asked. "By whom?"

"By you."

All three dragons' heads turned towards where the voice came from, and they all noticed the voice came from the young black dragon. Singe's heart sank when his brother spoke; he knew nothing good would come from this.

"You're the reason why our family is dead, you!" he shouted as he started to get up from his current position. His eyes started to water, with fresh tears starting to form around his eyes and his voice cracked up when he spoke. "You came here, ten years ago, and destroyed our home. You killed every last one of our clan, even our parents!" Zackary shouted out in a mix of fear, anger, and sadness. "Our once beautiful home was turned into rubble in a matter of minutes, all because you found it amusing."

"No, No! You don't understand," Cynder cried out as tears started to fall out of her eyes.

"No, I do understand. You haven't changed like you say you did. You're trying to trick us, attack when our guard is down. But you know what, you can't trick me, I know your secret," Zackary raged with anger, tears now poured out of his eyes like a heavy storm. Cynder, on the other hand, was confused and hurt by what he was saying. Tears also trickled down her cheeks. However, Cynder knew what he was talking about; she could remember when she attacked their home. Now it all made sense.

Cynder could see herself attacking a small tribe of dragons, killing every dragon she could see just because her master told her to kill. She also could remember a tiny, young dragon in front of her; she remembered staring in the eyes of the hatchling and saw pure fear and sadness in its eyes. She now realized that hatchling was Zackary.

The black dragoness soon snapped out of her trance. She bowed her head in shame and tears flooded out of her eyes. _She _was the cause of their family's death. _She_ was the one who made them live alone. Cynder couldn't take much more, the strength in her mind slowly weakened by every time that horrible day was brought up.

"Zackary, enough!" the eldest brother shouted.

"H-how can y-you say that? I-I'm nothing like I was," Cynder cried out. Spyro was still by her side and he tried his hardest to comfort her but there was nothing he could do at this point.

"Stop trying to trick us. I know your secret. And I suppose you're going to kill us now, but what good what that give you? Nothing! Or maybe you'll take us away like you took our sister Ellie!" Zackary's voice cracked up. In his mind he knew they were going to die, but he wanted to make his point before he was killed.

Cynder slowly backed up. Her head was facing the floor and tears rapidly dripped off her muzzle. She couldn't take it any more. She couldn't handle anymore sorrow. "No, no, no!" She shouted before looking at Spyro with guilt among her features. Spyro could see what she was planning on doing and quickly shook his head to stop her, but it wasn't enough. Cynder turned around as fast as she could and ran out the cave room.

"Cynder!" Spyro shouted. He then looked at Singe with sadness in his eyes.

Singe gave the purple dragon a simple nod before speaking. "Go get her."

Without wasting a second, the purple dragon took off after the black dragoness as fast as his legs wound carry him. It was hard for him to see in the cave because of the poor lighting of the blue crystals, but nonetheless he pushed forward after his dragoness and hoped he wouldn't run into anything.

Every turn he'd make, he hoped to see Cynder, but to no luck. This worried the purple dragon. He wanted to catch up to her so he could calm her down and prevent her from doing something she would regret, or worse. His heart pounded hard against his chest, growing harder every passing second. Still no sight of Cynder and he could tell he was nearing the end of the cave.

A long and winding cave seemed to go by in minutes. He knew he was getting closer to her; his instincts told him he was gaining on the black dragoness. However, not as close as he anticipated. Flashes of light grew brighter as he closed in on the end of the cave. Sound from the storm could be heard, but still no Cynder. It wasn't until he made it to the compete end of the cave where something could be seen. Harsh wind, pounding rain, blinding lightning, and crackling thunder was the first thing the purple dragon noticed, indicating the storm still raged on.

Then, out of the corner of his eyes, Spyro noticed a slender dragoness running towards the edge of the cave, only visible by the flashes of lightning from the storm.

"Cynder, wait!" Spyro shouted, but to no success. His voice was muted by a loud clash of thunder. It was too late. Cynder already flapped her wings and flew off into the storm. Spyro didn't hesitate. A wave of endurance kicked in and he too jumped off the ledge and into the brutal storm. The purple dragon struggled desperately. He wanted to get to his dragoness and nothing was going to stop him. He flapped hard in the wicked storm, the only light available from the lightning, but that only lasted for a split second at a time. Painful rain hit his body like tiny razor-sharp barbs, and horrific winds threatened to tear off his wings, but none of this was stopping the purple dragon.

Spyro struggled hard to catch up and it seemed to him that he wasn't making any progress. The direction that Cynder flew off in was against the wind, which made this extremely hard for even an adult dragon to fly. But his mind was still set. He WAS going to get to her, no matter what. A few more minutes passed and Spyro had now lost sight of the black dragoness. Even when the lightning flashed, he still couldn't see anything. His heart sank to the bottom of his stomach. He had lost her. Deep down he felt like he had no choice but to give up, but nonetheless, he still wasn't going to quit on her. He pushed on for another ten minutes but there no sight of Cynder. But he knew he had to be close because she also would have trouble in this storm. This seemed to motivate him to continue on further, to know he was close.

A few more minutes passed by and the purple dragon started to wear down. The wind was so strong and the rain stung so badly, it started to really take a toll on his body. However, somehow, he didn't feel exhaustion or pain. His mind was so focused on one thing and that was Cynder, he didn't care what it would take to get to her, as long as he succeeded.

A little while passed and there hadn't been a lightning flash in about a minute so all was pitch black. He thought the lightning just stopped all of a sudden, and now he and Cynder wouldn't be able to see where they're going and this could be dangerous. However, to his luck, the brightest lightning flash yet struck the ground about a mile away in the large valley and Spyro instantly could see everything around him. On instinct, he used his dragon time ability and slowed down time. The lightning flash normally would last a split second but to Spyro, it lasted more than few seconds. The purple dragon scanned the air as well as the ground, in the hope of seeing his black dragoness. To his remarkable fortune, he saw a dark figure on the ground running under a well-shaded tree. Spyro gave a big sigh of relief and dove down towards the tree and to the possible Cynder sighting.

Time went back to normal and the buffeting of the storm resumed full force. Spyro was now speeding down towards the ground with his wings against his side, hurrying as fast as he could. Within a matter of seconds, the purple dragon neared the large umbrella-like tree. At the last second, the purple dragon spread out his wings with one flap and slowed his fall into a hover-like position. Once his feet were on the ground, Spyro took off running to the tree where indeed, Cynder was under. Once he was near the opening of the tree, Spyro shouted over the loud thunder.

"Cynder!"

*.*.*

Several miles to the east stood a large, tall mountain and it too was getting its share of the brutal storm, the winds strong enough to rip massive trees out from the ground, rain flowing in sheets and also traveling at high rates of speed, bombarding everything in its way with tiny razor-like drops. Lightning so bright to give out temporarily blindness to whoever stared at it flashed in the sky, and in all it was a place where no one would want to be. However, high up, on the peak of the mountain stood a large figure. This figure was a dragon; it had three long horns that came out of its head, piercing yellow eyes, talons that were razor sharp, and dark purple scales. This dragon was Malefor.

Rain poured off his body and on the ground, and he stood not caring at all about the weather conditions but actually as if he was enjoying it. He stared at the ground below, almost as if he was daydreaming—which he was—but then a familiar evil smirk started to form across his features. He was planning something and something big.

A single bolt of lightning stuck the ground, indicating it was time to start his evil plan. He then focused all his energy, saving it inside him as it built up. Then, all of a sudden, the ground from the edge of the mountain and on down to the field started to glow. A thick purple aura then came from the ground. A few seconds later, the ground started to shake as if there was an earthquake, but something far different was happening than an earthquake. Part of the ground started to float upwards. The dirt that floated then started to form into hideous creatures; grublins. Within a matter of minutes, the whole place was crawling with tens of thousands of grublins, all in different sizes, from the short ones with their tiny clubs, to the larger ones and their axes or cross bows, all coming back from the dead. Malefor was rebuilding his army.

"Rise my minions, Rise!" Malefor shouted over the field of reforming creatures.

After a few more moments, Malefor's army has now fully awoken from the dead. Before the only noise that could be heard was thunder but now the howls and roars from the massive amount of grublins overpowered the deep rumbling. Malefor couldn't help but laugh when he heard the sound of his creatures reforming back to life, his plan finally being put to action. The sound of weapons clanging together was pure music to him, and with the added thunder, it seemed to make it perfect.

A few minutes passed and a large grublin with a massive club approached the large purple dragon. "Your troops have fully regenerated and are under your control, master," the massive creature spoke in a voice barley able to make out. However, Malefor understood easily.

"Excellent," he spoke. The purple dragon then looked over his army; the sheer size of it brought his usual evil smirk. He then inhaled, getting ready to speak to his troops.

"Silence!" Malefor shouted over the thunder to get all the grublins' attention. Every creature immediately stopped what they were doing at the sound of their master's voice.

"A week ago we were brought down by a peasant named Spyro!" All the grublins booed and shouted at the mention of the other purple dragon's name. "We have failed to complete our quest on ending this pathetic world. However, this time we will become victorious." Once he paused, all the creatures started to clang their weapons and shout as loud as they could.

"I have brought you all back from your graves because we have been given a second chance, and we will NOT waste it! My job for you is to kill anything you see! You are dismissed."

Once he finished his speech, all the grublins dispersed on their search for any victims, the weapons they carried and the bloodthirsty appearances showing they were ready to kill. Malefor stood on the top of the mountain while the storm still raged on, overlooking his slaves as they wandered off. So far his plan was going perfectly. The only creature left was the large grublin standing next to Malefor.

"What else do you wish for us to do, master?" questioned the grublin.

"…Search for the cave of crystals and report back to me when you find it," Malefor ordered.

The grublin gave a nod. "Yes master." Then it continued down the mountain for its search.

Once all the grublins were gone, Malefor spread out his wings and with one flap, he was in the air and heading the opposite way from the grublins, searching for shelter from the storm.

*.*.*

"Cynder!" Spyro shouted, running closer to the tree. Once Spyro entered the opening, he stopped his running and walked in slowly. He looked inside the tree and noticed it was a weeping willow, but what puzzled him the most was there was no rain seeping through. However, that was the least of his worries. His main concern was Cynder. He walked even closer and heard she was crying.

"Cynder?" the purple dragon spoke quietly.

"Go away Spyro." She spoke firmly but her voice cracked up a little. Spyro was taken aback by her remark but nonetheless, he didn't care. He knew she had to be hurt.

"Cynder, I'm here to help. Please let me talk to you," he spoke. However, he didn't receive an answer. Spyro sighed. He wanted to talk to her but she wouldn't cooperate, which he expected from her. Spyro then realized he barely could see under the tree. He then noticed a pile of dead sticks from the tree. As hard as it was to see, he still managed to collect a good amount and formed a bigger pile. He then used his fire element and spat out a tiny fireball to light the dried up sticks. Now the tree was fully lit from the inside. Now that Spyro could see better, he walked even closer to the black dragoness but once he was close enough to see her features, Cynder got up and walked a few yards away.

"Spyro, please, I don't want to talk," Cynder announced.

"Cynder, I know what you're thinking. Please let me talk to you."

Cynder started to get a little mad at the purple dragon. However, she knew he was only trying to help, even though she didn't want it. The black dragoness didn't speak for a few long minutes, but finally, she gave a long sigh and began to speak.

"Spyro, I told you this would happen," she said.

"You told me what?" Spyro asked with his head cocked to the side, even though Cynder wasn't looking.

"I told you everybody would recognize me as the killer I was, not who I am now… And we haven't even made it back to the city." Once she finished to take a breath, tears started to flow from her eyes even more.

"He just overreacted, that's all," Spyro spoke in hope of perking up the sad dragoness. However, it didn't work.

"Spyro, he didn't overreact. What he said was true…You see, Spyro? I attacked their home, I _killed_ their family. Me. I am the reason why they live in a cave alone, without a loving family. I even took their older sister away from them, and I don't even remember where or what I did to her," Cynder finished and a downpour of tears seeped from her eyes. She felt so hurt, so guilty for what she had done. Spyro didn't know what to say. He wanted to cheer her up but he didn't know what words to say. But eventually, he did speak.

"Cynder, you cannot blame yourself for what happened against your will. You were controlled. None of it you did willingly."

"Spyro, you don't understand. I did do all those things on my own. I was told to do it but my actions were me, all me. I killed them because I was told it was right." Cynder lowered her head once she finished speaking.

"You see? You were told it was the right thing to do. Malefor taught you the wrong meaning, but now you know the right way, and you're not like you were," Spyro persisted.

"Yes but…" She trailed off as she didn't know what to say after what Spyro said. In a way, he was right, but there were still some things he wouldn't understand from her life ordeal. The two dragons didn't say a single word for another five minutes, but then, Spyro broke the silence.

"…Cynder, I know what you are thinking and I don't want you to do it." Spyro feared that Cynder would have the thought he was afraid she might, but he just prayed to the ancestors that she wouldn't attempted it.

"Spyro, I-I killed so many lives. I hurt so many. I-I don't want to hurt anyone else," she spoke as the suicidal thought popped into her mind.

"…But you will hurt me if you do what you're thinking…" Spyro looked at the black dragoness's back, hoping his words would enter her mind. Cynder then slowly turned around. She saw Spyro only a few feet away, just waiting for her to look at him. She thought about what he said. He was right. He cared for her and if she would have done such a thing, it would crush him.

"Even the guardians would be hurt if they found out you were no longer with us," Spyro added in.

Spyro smiled when she looked at him. He then spread out his left wing, waiting for her to walk under it. "Come on, please don't do this." Once he finished, his smile grew bigger. Cynder kept thinking back and forth, but it didn't take her long to decide. She then slowly walked towards Spyro and then under his wing in a somewhat hug. Spyro then kissed her on the cheek and Cynder blushed by the sensation. Cynder's crying slowed down but did not stop; there was something else on her mind.

"Spyro?" Cynder asked while looking up at him.

"Yes, Cynder?" he asked back.

"What if this happens again?" she questioned. Spyro thought about it for a few seconds.

"Well, I know your past will be brought up again. There is no stopping it. However, I will always be here for you and I will always make sure you'll feel safe. I will always help you out of these circumstances," Spyro finished and gave her another kiss.

"Thank you, Spyro. You always make me feel so confident inside."

"Just remember, even though it will be brought up again, just let go of the past and focus on your future. I know it's going to be hard but y—" He was suddenly cut off when Cynder pressed her lips against his in a romantic kiss.

"I will," Cynder said once she broke away. Spyro smiled in a goofy way, completely taken off guard by her friendly gesture.

Once she let the words free from her muzzle, they both smiled and hugged each other once more. After a few seconds, they let go of their hug but they still stood side by side with Spyro's wing around Cynder's body. A few more moments went by until Spyro broke the silence.

"Now, are you ready to head back to the others?" Spyro asked.

Cynder sighed at his question. She wasn't sure if she should return. "I-I don't know. I hurt them many years ago. I don't think I should go back. Besides, I wouldn't think they'd want me back."

"Of course they'd want you to come back. Singe understands the pain you went through. And as for Zackary, well, he's just a little... confused. I'm sure he'll understand sooner or later."

"I don't know, Spyro," Cynder said, still conflicted.

"Come on, I'll be here for you," Spyro said as a grin started to form around his muzzle.

Cynder also smiled and gave a simple, "Ok." Spyro still had his wing around the black dragoness; Cynder pressed her body close to his for a few moments. A little while later, she released and walked out of Spyro's wing. However, she didn't walk far, only a few meters away so their wings wouldn't collide. They then slowly walked outside from the safety of the willow tree and into the intense storm. They expected to be literately blown off their feet and have a hell of a time flying in it, but once they were completely out of the umbrella-like tree, everything they just thought of didn't happen. It appeared that the storm was dying down. It still would be hard to fly in it and the danger of lightning strikes remained but the risk was far less than earlier.

"Well would you look at this. It appears the storm is finally moving past us," Spyro spoke with a little excitement. Both young dragons looked at each other and smiled. To Cynder, this was more than a storm moving on; to her this was a brand new life style, the light at the end of the tunnel. She now felt like her past was leaving with the storm, away from her, and her future was going to be brightened.

Cynder didn't realize that she was staring directly at Spyro. The purple dragon cocked his head to the side, not understanding why she was staring. Was it something he said, or the way he looked? A few more moments passed by and Cynder then saw Spyro looking at her with a weird look across his features. She didn't know why at first but then it hit her; she was staring. She instantly shook her head and felt a little embarrassed by her actions.

"Oh…uh, I-I'm sorry, I was thinking of uh…" She trailed off, her features turning red from the embarrassment.

"It's ok. So what were you thinking of?" Spyro asked.

Cynder looked up at the sky. "Oh nothing. Just that the storm is going away but we still can't see anything. Stuff like that." She laughed a little and Spyro came in with a light chuckle.

"Yeah, that is true," Spyro spoke. "So, you ready to head back?"

Cynder ran over to the purple dragon, gave him a kiss on the side of his muzzle, and then ran back to her position. "I am now," she giggled. Now it was Spyro's turn for his features to turn red, but only for a few seconds.

After his features went back to their normal color, both dragons spread their wings wide and looked at each other to see if one another were ready. Each dragon gave a firm nod and jumped into the air with a single flap of their wings. It didn't take them long before they were at a steady flight. Still there was a heavy rain but it seemed to be much warmer than before. Most likely it had been cooler from the tremendous winds but now that the winds had subsided the air as well as the rain seemed a tad warmer.

A few small lightning flashes in the distance still lit up the sky enough for the two dragons to know where to go to head back to the safety of the cave. Spyro then looked back behind him. He saw a dim glow of a fire in the middle of the old weeping willow tree they were in. For some odd reason, Spyro seemed to like the tree, giving him warmth and protection from the storm, almost like a small home. This put a small grin of the purple dragon's features as he flew ever farther away from it.

The two dragons actually seemed to enjoy their flight back. Even though it was still raining and there was still lightning, the rain was warmer and the lightning was now too far away to strike them. The rain seemed to sooth the dragons a bit, how it splashed against their scales and ran down their body, almost as if they were swimming but in air.

After about five minutes of flying in the rain, Spyro and Cynder finally reached the cave entrance. The flight didn't seem to take as long than they expected it to be. However, considering they were flying against the wind on the way down, flying back up with no resistance from the wind took a lot less time and effort, and even safer.

The two young dragons finally flew into the opening in the cave and landed back on their feet. Spyro looked over to Cynder and noticed she was already looking at him. He smiled at her and she returned a smile back.

"Thank you, Spyro," Cynder whispered.

"For what?" Spyro asked dumbly.

"For all your help, your trust, everything."

"Cynder, you don't need to thank me for all that. I told you I'll do anything for you," he insisted

"No, Spyro, I do." She paused for a moment. "I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't because of you."

"Cynder, I couldn't let you leave like that. I had to go after you in that storm. I—" he suddenly was cut off when Cynder interrupted.

"No, Spyro, I wasn't talking about tonight. I was talking about saving me from Malefor, trusting me, helping me get through when everyone says I'm still evil. You've done so much for me; I wish I could repay you," Cynder said with sorrow.

"Repay me? Cynder, you don't need to repay me. I did all that because I love you, and you loving me back and being by my side, well, that's all I ever need," Spyro announced.

"Really, you mean that?" Cynder questioned.

"Absolutely. I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true," Spyro smiled.

"Well, I still wish I could do something for you," Cynder sighed.

Spyro thought about it for a few seconds and then an idea popped into his mind. "How about you come in the cave with me and let's see if we can convince Zackary that what you say is true?" Spyro suggested.

"Um… ok, let's go." Cynder didn't quite like the way Spyro suggested for her to repay her debt to him, since were going to do that anyway. However, she didn't dwell on it and followed the purple dragon into the poorly lit cave. She knew she could think of something one day and that was exactly what she was going to do.

Cynder eventually caught up with the purple dragon. Spyro notice she was by his left side so he flexed out his wing and draped it over her body. They then continued further down the cave in silence. Another ten minutes had passed and they were still walking down the cave, however they knew they were getting close to the end. Cynder's stomach churned as they came closer to the other dragons. The thought of what the younger dragon would say or even do frightened her a bit. _Was Singe able to convince him I wasn't evil or does_ _he still not trust me? Is he going to be mad that I came back or does he feel sorry?_ Cynder didn't know what to expect when they enter the room. She just hoped he would understand her past.

A few more minutes passed andit now had been a whole hour since the rage of the black dragon. Now they were only a few meters away as they could tell from their previous trip into the cave. Finally, after what felt like hours to Cynder, they made it to the room entrance. Cynder froze and stopped dead in her tracks. Spyro instantly noticed she stopped when her body started to slip out from his wing. He looked at her, puzzled.

"Are you ok, Cynder?" he asked worriedly.

"…huh? Yeah, yeah, I'm ok, sorry," she apologized and walked back under Spyro's wing.

"Are you sure?" he asked again.

"Yeah, I'll be ok. I trust in what you said earlier."

Spyro smiled which caused Cynder to smile back. They then walked into the room simultaneously, Cynder's body pressed tightly against Spyro's. They finally made it into the cave-like room and saw Singe on his hunches waiting by the entrance about three or four meters away, and on the other side of the room, Zackary lay on the cave floor with his head resting against his paws, glaring at Cynder when she entered. Nevertheless, Cynder didn't feel threatened by his intimidating stare. She knew he had every right to be heartbroken and furious at her for what she had done in the past. She just thought back to what Spyro said earlier and it seemed to work. However, Cynder did feel for the younger dragon. She knew exactly how he was feeling to be ripped apart from a family. Cynder then was snapped out of her thoughts when Singe spoke.

"I'm glad you two came back, especially you, Cynder. I'm sorry for what my brother said." Singe felt guilty for his brother's actions. Before he didn't know why he was acting the way he did but now it all made sense.

"No, I'm sorry…for what I've done to you two." Cynder lowered her head in shame.

"You shouldn't feel guilty for something you couldn't control. Here, it's late, why don't you get some sleep and we can talk about it in the morning?" Singe suggested.

Spyro and Cynder nodded their heads in agreement. "Ok. Thank you, Singe, for letting us stay here for the night." Spyro said.

"Any time, I'm glad you guys found the cave. Well, if you like, you can sleep over to the right and I'll sleep closer to my brother over to the left. Will that be fine?" Singe asked.

"Yeah, that will be perfect," Cynder spoke.

"Good. Well, goodnight," Singe said before turning around and laying down a little closer to his brother.

Spyro and Cynder then went over to where Singe mentioned and lay down on the surprisingly soft cave floor. Cynder curled up next to Spyro and Spyro covered her body with a wing. Then the two dragons slowly drifted off into a relaxing slumber.

Zackary still watched from the other side of the room, but nonetheless, he too drifted off and didn't pay any mind to Cynder. Within a matter of minutes, all four dragons were sound asleep in a peaceful cave, a dim light from a torch on the wall being the only thing illuminating the cave, but it too slowly died off until the cave was left in complete darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>And done, whoo, took me a while to write but it's done. ^^ I hope everyone enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. <strong>

**And as for Zack, wow, harsh...didn't think he had it in him now did ya? Only if he knew, right? oh, and Zackary and Singe has a sister named Ellie? who would have known? XD **

**Well, that's about it from me, hoped you like it and please review. PLEASE! I love it when I get one. Also, I reply to every question, hi, or review I get and very, VERY fast too.**

**Til next time. :)**


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! Look whose back. XD more importantly, the chapter! :D This is a very special chapter I bring to you today. Why you ask? Because it's on a very special day of course. XD CHRISTMAS DAY!**

**BTW, I REACHED 10! XD chapter 9-10**

**And I wasn't suppose to update this chapter today, you know why? Because the world was suppose to end on the 21****st**** but look, we're all here, imagine that. XD **

**Just a few things I want to say first. Um… I have received a lot of offers of other peoples' OC's, people wanting them in my story. I really, REALLY appreciate the offers but I'm going to turn them down for the time being. I don't want to sound rude but I have plenty at the moment and can't think of adding any more. Plus, I like to keep most of the OC's in my story mine. However, doesn't mean I won't accept any offers, I will one day but right now, I'm pretty full. Sorry**

**Anyway, I think I said enough. ON WITH THE CHAPTER! XD**

* * *

><p>Chapter 9<p>

A lone purple dragon rested on the stone hard ground near the a great hourglass. Hundreds of book were sprawled out in the chamber, all stacked on each other and not one appeared to be placed back in its spot on the bookrack. Not long after, the purple dragon started to flinch and churn as he slowly began to wake up. Spyro started to groan a little as his body regained consciousness. He then finally opened his eyes but was surprised by what he saw. He hoped to see his beautiful black dragoness, Cynder all curled up next to him but instead all he saw was an hourglass and a room filled with hundreds of books, but not neatly.

Spyro instantly knew he was in the Chronicler's world, and he felt joy that Ignitus had summoned him to meet again. However, a thought just entered his mind, is it good or bad? Spyro was a little worried now why Ignitus had brought him here but one other thing entered his mind: where was he?

After Spyro scanned the whole room with no sign of the Chronicler, he began to get up. The purple dragon slowly rose to his feet, feeling a bit stiff from his nice sleep. Once he was on all fours, he began to stretch out his front paws until he heard a blissful pop from his joints. He opened his mouth wide in a big yawn with his tongue curled. Finally, he felt a wave of weakness flow in but only for a short while, and then a wave of relaxation settled in.

Spyro stood all the way up and was about to walk around, however, his mind thought back on Ignitus. He still wasn't to be seen. This puzzled the purple dragon, for usually he was here.

"Ignitus?" Spyro called softly, but there was no answer.

"Huh…" he sighed.

Spyro then was about to walk around in search for the pale blue dragon but something caught his eye. He looked over and two different books stacked on top of each other stood out to him. He walked over to the books curiously. Once he reached them he could see that the book on top read 'Singe' in fancy lettering. Spyro's eyes widened once he realized whose book it was. Nevertheless, there was still a book on the bottom. The purple dragon dragged the top book off and sat it down closer to him. This one read 'Zackary' in its fancy lettering also.

Spyro looked back in forth throughout the chamber, now hoping the Chronicler wasn't in the room to see him sneak the books. Once he noticed the room was clear, he grabbed the two books in his jaws, walked back over to the hourglass, and sat down back on his hunches.

Spyro first started with Singe's book. He opened the hard cover up and the first thing on the first page was a picture of a redish egg with orange strips. _"This must be his egg."_ Spyro thought.

Spyro spent the next ten minutes reading as much as he could about the red dragon. Spyro noticed how caring he was, how much he cared about his younger brother, and what he would do to protect him. But unfortunately, he also read about the day when Cynder attacked their home. The pictures of what happened that day were truly heartbreaking. He felt for Singe and Cynder, both going through something so tragic. Nevertheless, he then noticed all the good things about Singe after the war in his tribe; he seemed much happier and more loving to his brother.

"_Maybe this wasn't a bad thing." _Spyro thought. He then quickly looked into Zackary's book; like with Singe's, the first page was a picture of a charcoal black egg. Spyro thought the same and again, started to read it.

He too noticed how loving, affectionate, sensitive, and well helping this dragon truly was, not the way he acted towards Cynder. But then Spyro read a little deeper into the book, to when the attack was brought forth. He noticed in the words and pictures a young hatchling completely heartbroken and terrified by what was going on around him. Spyro felt for both of them. However, same as Singe, he looked at all the good things after the fact. He found something that is hard to find in good relationships between brothers; love, trust, and companionship stronger than Spyro have seen before. Almost like Sparx and him.

He looked into Zackary's book a little longer, getting deeper into the pages, until he noticed something that all made sense in regard to Zackary's anger and fear towards Cynder. Spyro found a page that showed Zackary having a nightmare. But not just any nightmare, a horrible dream where Spyro and Cynder met up with a young black dragon who was laying down in comfort on a peaceful day. He read that Zackary became excited to see his hero stop by, but then he learned about the purple dragon's friend, Cynder. Spyro told him she wasn't evil but Zackary wouldn't listen. Cynder agreed with the black dragon and turned on the purple dragon. Just after, Cynder grew back into her massive evil self and killed the purple dragon, then turned towards the black dragon and advanced on him to take his life. However, Zackary was woken up by the shaking of his brother.

Now Spyro knew. He knew why Zackary was so frightened of Cynder. What he saw in his dream, he thought it was really going to happen because it was so real to him. This was the reason why Zackary was so defensive. This was why he said the things he said. He thought he was being tricked.

"Oh, wow. So this is why Zackary said those hurtful things to Cynder. His dream lead him to believe what wasn't true," Spyro spoke quickly.

"Yes, dreams can become so powerful, that they seem almost real, don't you think?" a familiar voice echoed in the chamber.

Spyro flinched at the sound of the voice and instantly turned towards the source. He noticed a pale blue elder dragon walking around the mighty hourglass.

"Ignitus!" Spyro said in shock. "Um, uh, I-I was just uh…" He stuttered in his words feeling a little guilt for looking in the Chronicler's books.

Ignitus laughed at the purple dragon's babbling. "Not to worry, young dragon, these books are for anyone worthy enough to read up on their knowledge and you so happen to be one of them," Ignitus smiled.

"Anyone worthy?" Spyro repeated. "So, is that the reason that you can summon me here?"

"Well, no, I can summon anyone to this sacred place. However, a Chronicler only summons those who are in need or bring help to the world." Spyro didn't say a word, only nodded. A few moments went by in which neither dragon spoke, but Spyro finally broke the silence.

"It's so nice to see you again, Ignitus, but why did you summon me here again?" Spyro questioned.

"Ah, yes, I summoned you here so we can talk about a few things," the Chronicler responded as he walked around the hourglass until he was right next to Spyro. The purple dragon stood up but stayed in the same place, just so he didn't have to look up to the tall dragon as much.

"…I see you've met up with other dragons," Ignitus spoke.

"Yeah, they—" Spyro was cut short when Ignitus waved a paw.

"No need, young dragon," the blue dragon said as he brought his paw down." I knew about your entrée into the cave from the storm, and I knew who was inside. I've been expecting you to meet them quite some time now."

Spyro thought about what he said before answering.

"So wait, does that mean…you lead us to Zackary and Singe?" Spyro questioned on his theory.

"Ha-ha, your mind has endless wonders, young dragon. But yes, I did lead you and Cynder to Singe and Zackary. They need your help," Ignitus stated

"Huh, why would they need our help?"

"Spyro, they need your help because like you and Cynder, they have achieved new abilities. However, it's still out of their knowing. They have had slight appearances, but nothing they've noticed. It is your job to help them find their new gift and master them. It is the only way to help in this upcoming war."

"Ok, I'll do it," Spyro exclaimed, not wanting to let his idol down. But after a moment Spyro realized the words Ignitus said, the words about the upcoming war. Was it true? Was the war really back? But who was it lead by? The purple dragon began to worry as the words echoed in his head.

"Ignitus, what are you talking about this war? All you told me last time was the war wasn't over, and then Cynder and I had to fight off a few grublins. Please tell me what's going on," Spyro pleaded. He stared at the elder dragon with a confused look across his features, desperately waiting for an answer.

"Spyro, this is the main reason why I brought you here today. Please, sit down. This isn't going to be easy to say." The pale blue dragon sighed and slowly sat down on his hunches. Spyro on the other hand didn't sit down just yet, his expression showing fear. He feared what the elder dragon was going to say.

"W-what are you saying?" Spyro blurted out but didn't realize he yelled. But he suspected he already knew what the elder dragon was going to say.

"Spyro, this isn't easy to say but…" He trail off. Spyro had to know but it was so hard for Ignitus to tell him. "Malefor has returned."

Once the words slid out of his muzzle, Spyro's heart sank to his stomach. A much bigger wave of fear and anger flooded inside of him.

"What!?" Spyro shouted as if he was surprised, but he had already expected that was the case. Still, the sound of the other purple dragon's name sent spikes of fear through every single bone in Spyro's body.

"Bu-but that's impossible. Cynder and I, we defeated him. How…how can he come back?" Spyro felt his rage and anger grow stronger at the thought of Malefor's return. However, a new feeling came to him and this one was guilt. He felt guilt for not stopping Malefor for good.

"I'm not sure, but the main thing is, you must stay out of his path. He's much stronger and you're not ready to face him again, y—" He was cut short when Spyro interrupted.

"This is all my fault," Spyro whispered.

"Come again?" Ignitus asked.

"Malefor returning. It's all my fault. If I had just killed him myself instead of the spirits dragging him into the ground, then he wouldn't have returned." Spyro stood there with his head hanging down in shame.

"Spyro, you shouldn't blame yourself for an unpredictable predicament. You have done what you were destined to do. There is no shame in that," Ignitus said, trying to cheer up the purple dragon.

"But, I didn't complete my quest," Spyro hesitated.

"Spyro, you've done more than a young dragon your age could ever dream of doing. You've defeated Malefor and reformed the world, and let's not forget you've brought peace to the lands," he declared proudly in excitement for his young pupil's achievement.

"Yes, but only for a short while," Spyro cut in before turning his back towards the blue dragon and walking a few steps away.

"That may be so, but your accomplishments are far greater than anyone could expect, even yourself. Spyro. Even though the war hasn't ended entirely, you stopped the world from disintegrating and I know you can do it again. You're now stronger, and you have companions to help. In your future, you will become a friend to many," Ignitus said, inspiring the purple dragon a bit in his words.

"Yeah, thanks, Ignitus. You always help me when I need it." Spyro smiled at the blue dragon and he smiled back.

"Just remember, your friends will be with you to help. You may only have Cynder and Sparx for now, but I can assure you, you'll have lots of friends that will care about you in time." Now it was Ignitus' turn to smile and make the purple dragon smile back.

"Hm…" The blue dragon thought about something.

"Anything wrong, Ignitus?" Spyro asked worriedly.

"Ah, why don't we take a little stroll through the chambers, just talk for a little, hm?" he asked. Spyro didn't say a word, he just nodded in agreement.

Ignitus slowly rose to his feet while Spyro was already up and standing next to him. Once he had fully risen, he nodded his head forward, telling Spyro to head on. Now both dragons were slowly walking, passing room after room through the Chronicler's sacred habitat. About ten minutes passed and the two dragons didn't say a word to each other, just enjoying their walk and looking around the place. Then, after another five minutes or so of walking, Spyro finally broke the silence.

"Ignitus, do…do you happen to know about our new…abilities?" Spyro hesitated at first but managed to finish his sentence.

"Why yes, of course I do." Ignitus chuckled a little. "Yes, you have the ability to see in the future and Cynder has the ability to heal. And might I say, you two are really getting the hang of it."

"Yeah, that's kinda what I want to talk to you about…" Spyro paused. "I don't know how we managed to get new powers. I thought that wasn't possible."

Ah, yes, it's quite possible, young dragon. But only certain dragons can have the chance to gain new elements. You and Cynder just so happened to be two of them."

"Yes, but how, how are we able to have them and from what, for what?" Spyro asked, hoping to get his answer *from* Ignitus but he didn't receive the answer he was hoping for.

"I'm sorry Spyro, but I cannot share this information with you just yet," Ignitus murmured.

"Oh, ok…I understand," Spyro spoke timidly. He hadn't received the answer he was looking for, but Ignitus said he would tell him and that was enough for him at the moment.

"Cheer up, Spyro. I can't tell you because it'll rewrite what's already been written. Just let nature take its course and you'll know its true meaning," Ignitus said. Spyro didn't say a word. He just smiled at the elder dragon as they continued to walk down the halls.

Another ten minutes or so passed and both dragons continued to walk around a maze of rooms and chambers, but to Spyro, old memories started to flow into his mind. They walked into each and every element chamber Spyro had to defeat over three years ago, except, there wasn't any weird orb creatures after him, just the floating books and such Spyro chuckled quietly to himself as he remembered what he had to do to prove to the Chronicler that he was what he said. He thought about how young he was then; three years past, but it only seemed a few months to Spyro considering he and Cynder were crystallized for three years. Time had seemed to go by like a dream to him, Sparx, and Cynder.

The whole trip proved to bring back memories to the purple dragon. However he couldn't make out if they were pleasant ones. But the whole time they walked around Spyro maintained a grin across his features. After another ten minutes of walking in silence, the two dragons finally made it back to the mighty hourglass. Spyro stopped at the hourglass but Ignitus kept walking until he reached a pile of books.

"My, my, have I sure made a mess with all these books. Well, I guess I should start cleaning up," the blue dragon spoke before he used his mind to slowly hover the books back into their spot on the bookshelf. Spyro then sat back down on his haunches and gave a big yawn as exhaustion settled back in; his body was asleep when he was summoned, and now his mind *was starting* to feel it. Ignitus noticed Spyro's head bobbing and realized he should head back into the real world.

"Spyro, as much as I hate to end this reunion, I think it's time to send you back to Cynder and the other two dragons," Ignitus suggested, and instantly Spyro started to fade away.

"Wait, Ignitus, I still have questions to ask you," Spyro protested

"Go back to the real world. I will summon you back another time, don't worry. Oh, and tell Cynder about my appearance, but nothing else." That was the last thing Ignitus said. Spyro gave a nod just in time before the blue dragon vanished from his sights.

***.*.***

Spyro's eyes slowly started to twitch as he started to wake up. He moaned a little as he slowly opened his eyes and pushed up with his two front paws. He looked around but barley saw anything; the torch had burned out hours ago. He still felt tired and could notice the other dragons were still sleeping so he could tell it was still night. He then looked under his wing; he smiled when he could make out a dragoness under it. She hadn't moved since they've fell asleep just hours ago. Though Spyro hated to do it, he decided he needed to get up and walk around the cave. After what Ignitus told him, he felt a little restless that Malefor had returned.

Spyro then held his breath as he slowly rose from his spot and hoped he wouldn't wake up his dragoness. However, Spyro stopped immediately and held his breath a bit longer when he noticed Cynder's paw was lying against his right flank. Spyro then sat back on the ground, took a paw and, slowly and lightly, he grabbed her forearm and placed it on the ground next to her other paw. Spyro then released the breath he had been holding in a sigh of relief that he didn't wake her. Spyro was now able to retract his wing fully and slowly rise again. Once he was completely up on all fours, he slowly stepped around the black dragoness and out to the doorway of the room-like cave.

Once he was about to step out of sight of all the dragons, Spyro stopped and turned around to look back at the black dragoness. Even though it was hard for him to see, he managed to see a faint outline of her figure. This put a smile on the purple dragon's features to see her. After he was done staring, he turned back around and continued to walk out into the cave hall.

Spyro wasn't in a big hurry, and his pace was slightly slower than average. Spyro just couldn't get the thoughts out of his head. How was it possible? How could it happen? How could he have let it? The guilty thoughts ate away his mind and left only sorrow behind for him to dwell on. He wished he knew what he did wrong; he wished he knew what he could do to stop the Dark Master before he could regain power and become stronger like Ignitus mentioned. This was the main reason why he left Cynder and his sleep to walk around; to get the guilty thoughts out of his mind.

He wandered the cave, curious to see if there were any other rooms or chambers other than the one they were sleeping in. However, after a near twenty minutes of searching, Spyro didn't locate one other entrance, not even a crack in the wall that could stand for a potential lair. After his search with no success, Spyro became bored. He didn't want to head back to sleep. He wanted to empty his mind completely and he knew just what would work; if it was out.

It didn't take long afterward until Spyro reached the cave entrance where it opened up wide. In the course of his searching he had gotten closer to the beginning of the cave. Immediately, the cave started to light up brighter as he made it closer to the opening. Unlike the dull blue light from the odd crystals, this light was softer, brighter, more intriguing to Spyro's view. The light grew brighter as he went further, the full and shaded aqua light bringing joy and happiness to the purple dragon.

At last, Spyro reached the entrance of the cave and waiting for him was the warming light of the two celestial moons. Spyro was surprised that the moons would be out; the storm that covered their beauty had now fully vanished. Spyro slowly walked to the cave ledge and once he was close enough, he sat down on his haunches and stared at the glorious moons with a big grin on his muzzle. Now, the thoughts about Malefor seemed to melt away and all he could think of what the two moons.

Spyro breathed in deeply, the scent of fresh dew in the air sending a wave of relaxation through his entire body, cooling him with its fragrance. Then he slowly exhaled the soothing breath in a calming sigh. For once since after the battle of Malefor, Spyro was completely at ease. His body didn't feel pain or stress. The only thing he wished was for Cynder to enjoy such a beautiful night with him by his side.

Spyro stayed in the same place for over an hour. He never wanted to leave an opportunity like what he was witnessing. He wanted to stay and fall asleep in the same spot, enjoying every last second of it. However, Spyro did start to doze off, and after his head bobbed the third time, Spyro realized he was falling asleep. Spyro immediately rose to his feet. He wanted to stay but he also wanted to be with Cynder. He then realized that he actually left her alone with the dragon that didn't trust her, and this worried him a little but nothing too serious.

Spyro gave one last glimpse at the two magnificent moons before making his way back into the cave. On the way back, Spyro walked a little faster than when he walked up. Now that he was free from the moons' trance he could now focus on Cynder. It only took Spyro about a decent ten minutes to make it back into the cave-like room. Once he entered, he slowed his pace so he wouldn't make too much noise to wake anyone up. Then his sights fell on Cynder. She was still lying in the same spot as when Spyro left, and he chuckled when he noticed.

Once Spyro finally made it back to his resting spot next to Cynder, he crouched down and wiggled his way back like he was earlier. Spyro then grabbed her talon, the same that was on his flank, picked it up and placed it back in the same spot as before. Before Spyro dozed off into his sleeping realm, he kissed Cynder on the top of the head and whispered, "Goodnight," to her. Cynder grew a grin across her muzzle, and she groaned a few times before going silent again. Spyro finally draped his leathery wing over the black dragoness to keep her warm and to stay close to her. Spyro then soon dozed off into a deep sleep with a grin on his muzzle.

***.*.***

Six years had passed and the dragon hatchling had grown to four times her original size. Her wings had grown even bigger and could almost support her weight in a full flight, but all she could do was manage a simple glide in the air. The horns on her head were no longer nubs, yet they were still too small for any protection. Her claws had grown even more and could do a little damage but still they were too small also. However, her whole appearance had changed and now she looked a lot more mature. Nevertheless despite her growth she was still too young and not ready to fight in the war just yet. She needed more time but time was what they didn't have. They named the black dragoness Cynder, as Rulock called her.

"Master Rulock, Master Rulock. Look at what I caught!" the little six-year-old dragoness shouted with a small rabbit in her jaws, running as fast as she could across the cave floor. She continued to run happily towards her caring master until she ran into a dark room. The room's only lighting was an eerie red glow from a few torches on the walls and in the middle of the room stood a dark shadow of a figure. The little dragoness looked a bit scared at the place's appearance but nonetheless she continued to walk towards the figure.

Once Cynder was only a few meters away from the dark figure, she stopped dead in her tracks once she noticed who it was. She gave a small gasp and dropped the tiny rabbit onto the ground. "Oh no," she whispered. When the dark figure turned around into the dim light, it was Gaul. She was instantly filled with fear at the sight of the monstrous ape. She started to slowly back away but didn't run because she had been told to obey the ape.

"Where have you been!?" the ape shouted, his voice echoing throughout the cave. "You should've been here hours ago training, not messing around!"

"I-I'm sorry, I, uh, just…" the young black dragoness stuttered and looked down in shame. Gaul then noticed the carcass of the small rabbit lying next to her on the ground.

"What is this!?" Gaul spat as he viciously grabbed the small, dead animal and shook it high in his bony hand.

"Uh, m-master Rulock sent me to hunt. H-he said it will help me lean how to kill," the black dragoness spoke in fear. She couldn't tell what the ape would do. All she wished was for her master to return.

"This is unacceptable!" he screamed. He then chucked the dead animal straight on the ground before grabbing his swords that was on his back and slicing the rabbit in two. He then stared at the dragoness with hatred in his eyes. The 6-year-old dragoness slowly stepped back in fear; she knew he was going to do something to her. The black dragoness had the thought to run away, but just before she could act on this decision the massive ape king grabbed her by the throat and jerked her off the ground and high in the air.

"Listen to me you little brat. You are being trained to kill, which means you should be killing things twice the size you are, not pathetic rodents!" he hollered. "I should end your life for this!" The black dragoness had tears that started to fall from her eyes. She then started to cry abundantly as she heard the ape say he wanted to kill her.

"That's enough, Gaul!" a voice echoed loudly throughout the cave. Both Cynder and the ape looked and saw a dim figure in a robe, only meters away.

"Gently lower Cynder to the ground," Rulock spoke. Gaul growled and delayed for a few moments but finally lowered the black dragoness and let her go gently on the ground.

"Rulock!" Cynder hollered as she bolted towards the mystery figure. Rulock saw the black dragoness running to him so he bent down to his knees. Once the black dragoness was close enough, Cynder jumped into his covered hands and he slowly rose. Cynder was so relieved he came when he did. If he didn't, she knew she would have been severely injured like many of her past encounters with Gaul. Once Rulock had his dragoness, he stared back at the ape king.

"Gaul, I thought we had an agreement when it comes to this dragoness," Rulock questioned the ape king.

"Rulock, it's not going to learn a thing if it brings back worthless rodents like this," Gaul retorted as he scooped up the two halves of the dead carcass and showed the hooded figure what she brought back.

"Gaul, first of all, it has a name and her name is Cynder. Second of all, you can't expect a young creature to bring you something twice as big as itself. You've got to start small, learn the techniques before handling something greater." Once he finished, he slowly petted the young dragoness from her head to her tail.

"I thought we had an understanding but it seems you ignored it like you usually do with anything else." Gaul gave a deep growl in response to the figures words. "Just return to your post and stay away from Cynder for the time being. She will be ready before the time comes. Just get your army ready," Rulock finished before turning around and walking out the entrance of the cave-like room he came from, leaving the ape king alone.

Rulock continued to walk down the hall. It got pitch black but only for a few seconds before even more torches lit up the rest of the hall but still had that eerie red lighting. Cynder kept looking up and down, between her master and the ground. She wanted to make sure they were further away from the ugly ape. She waited a few more moments before she finally spoke.

M-master Rulock?" She hesitated.

"Yes?" he replied back but maintained his stare on what was ahead of him.

"You didn't think my catch was pathetic, did you?" she whispered softly, worried if the ape was right.

"No, no, for your first catch, you did well." Rulock looked at the black dragoness but Cynder couldn't tell what his expression was. All she saw was darkness from a shadow.

"You really think so?" Cynder asked as she started to get excited.

"Absolutely," Rulock announced, and even though the young black dragoness couldn't see his features he had a small grin behind the shadows of his dark robe.

Deep down, Cynder wanted to shout out in excitement but she held it in as she did not was to act as if she was five. She wanted to act older in front of her master.

Three days later, Cynder wanted to go out on another hunt. She wanted to really impress her master so she was on the hunt for something bigger than a rabbit. Her hopes were to catch a young doe of if she was lucky, or maybe a bobcat, but she could only hope for so much. Anything else would be too big for her to carry back, especially if she was far out. Cynder wandered for hours. She started to tire out and wanted to head back but she didn't want to disappoint her master. She wanted to show him she had potential.

A few more minutes passed by and still no luck for Cynder. She had now became very tired of looking, and she also realized she was too far out, so she called it quits and started to head back. Depressed, Cynder moped with her head hanging in disappointment as she slowly walked back to her so called home.

As she walked back empty-handed, she thought about the place she lived, her _home._ Was this truly home for a young dragon, with the punishments and beatings she received almost every time she encountered the ape king? Was this life for a dragon or was there something else she didn't know about? Her mind wandered over the questions. What was her true reason in life?

More time passed and the young black dragoness started to get closer to her home. She still felt disappointed for not catching anything, let alone see anything. She tried not to dwell on it but as the minutes ticked by, the thoughts grew stronger. It wasn't until another ten minutes passed when Cynder heard something in some bushes nearly ten meters away from her. She froze instantly, took her tiny wing, and brought it forward, close to the side of her head to get a better sound of the ruckus. Her heart pounded when she could make out what the sound belonged to; it was a fairly large animal, just as she'd hoped for.

Cynder instantly crouched into a pouncing position as she crawled to some trees on the far side of the shrubs. She didn't know what the animal could be, or if it was something that could be hunting her. She didn't actually know what kind of creatures could hunt her; she was too young. Nevertheless, in disregard to her lack of knowledge, young Cynder slowly crept closer, from tree to bush, to the possible catch.

Finally, after what felt like hours of sneaking closer to the prey, Cynder finally reached the other side of the bush. Now it was only a few leaves that separated her and her anonymous pray. She crouched even lower, her wings draping back, close to her tail. She then slowly walked into the bush until the branches thinned out enough for her to see, but not too close for the catch to see her. Finally, at long last, Cynder could finally see what she had been hearing. It was a young deer, just the size she had hoped for; not too big but just about twice her size. The perfect prey for her to prove she wasn't worthless.

Cynder waited for the right moment. The young deer was facing right at her eating the lush green grass so if she attacked now it would see her and Cynder could miss her chance, so she waited for several more minutes. However, she started to get tired of waiting, since that was all she had ever done that day. Deep down Cynder wanted to abandon her hunt but she was too close for that. As soon as the animal turned around she would have her chance to attack it and hopefully bring down the larger animal.

Finally, after an agonizing ten minutes, Cynder had a chance; the deer turned a complete one hundred eighty degree turn and started to graze the grass on the other side. Cynder's crouch was low, her teeth were gritted and showing. She gave a deep growl in the back of her throat even though it wasn't that intimidating, ready to pounce. She wasn't waiting any longer. She barraged out of the shrub and leaped at the unsuspecting deer. Once she was close enough, she wrapped her tiny talons around it and clamped her jaws on the deer's neck, penetrating through the skin and into the vertebrae, killing it instantly. Cynder and the dead deer fell to the ground with a thump. Cynder then felt a wave of joy that she managed to kill the deer, although she did feel bad for taking its life, but she needed to survive herself.

"Yes, I finally did it," she said to herself in excitement. But now she came to another problem: she had to get it back. But as excited as she was, she didn't care. She wanted to bring her prize home. Therefore, she clamped her jaws around the neck of the animal and struggled her way back to the cave.

After another twenty minutes or so of walking, Cynder finally made it back to the cave entrance with her catch of the day, the one that didn't get away. On her little trip back, she was full of joy and excitement about her success, and she couldn't wait to show her master. However, as she was about to enter the cave, a thought entered her mind and her stomach churned. She thought about last time she caught something. Gaul was the first she ran into and things didn't go as she'd expected it would. Nevertheless, she just hoped that she would see Rulock before she ran into anyone else, and so she continued into the cave with her catch.

Cynder slowly walked through the dimly lit cave with the deer still dragging along in her jaws. She spent several minutes wandering the cave but still there was no sight of Rulock. It wasn't until a few moments later when Cynder notice a robed figure in the middle of a large room that she just entered. She instantly picked up her pace into a light run as she knew it was her master.

"Master Rulock!" she shouted, although it was hard to make out what she said with something in her mouth. Nevertheless, the figure heard it and looked in her direction.

"Ah, Cynder, it appears you managed to catch something much bigger than your own size. I'm proud of you," Rulock spoke in a soft tone. Cynder liked the sound of his voice when he spoke to her; he was the only one who wouldn't abuse her badly.

Cynder stopped a few meters away from the hooded figure, then dropped the animal from her jaws to speak properly. "Thank you, Master Rulock."

Rulock chuckled quietly before grabbing the carcass from the ground and chucking it over his shoulders. "Come on; let's go prepare your catch for dinner in celebration of your success, shall we?"

"Ok." Cynder leaped for joy, she was so happy that she impressed her master, and for once, she was relieved she didn't run into Gaul first. Both Rulock and Cynder walked out of the chamber they were in and into the hall, on their way to the appropriate place to prepare the deer.

The next day, Cynder walked the halls in fear. Her head looked everywhere rapidly as she feared someone was going to beat her again. She had just run into the ape king a few minutes before and he had thrashed her around because she wasn't learning fast enough and was still too young for any combat. Tears trickled from her eyes as she walked away. She didn't know where she was going, as long as it was away from Gaul.

A few more moments and rooms later, Cynder came up to a long hallway. However, close to the end of it stood two figures. She couldn't make out their appearances in the dim, red light but she could swear one of them looked like Rulock. She picked up her pace to get closer to see who they were and hoped it was him, and as she got closer she could tell it indeed was Rulock. However, she also could tell who the other figure was; it was Gaul. She immediately stopped dead in her tracks and slowly backed away, afraid of what he would do next. However just then a voice spoke out and stopped her.

"Cynder, come here, now," Rulock spoke. Cynder was a little frightened by his words. Although his tone didn't sound hostile, his choice of words spoke otherwise to the black dragoness. Nevertheless, Cynder obeyed his command and slowly walked towards him, her body crouched low and her head hung. She trembled in fear; she didn't know what punishment she would receive next.

Once she reached both Gaul and Rulock, she felt even more fear wash through her. Gaul glared at her, and every time she looked into his eyes she felt like she was staring into a black hole of hatred and despair. All she could do was wait until Rulock spoke, to tell her what she had done.

"Cynder, despite how young you are, I can tell an improvement has been made in your skillfulness." Rulock took a breath for a few moments, and Cynder waited in confusion. This was going much differently than she'd expected it would, and she then thought maybe she wasn't getting punished again. "Now we need to proceed to a little more advanced level. Gaul and I have been talking about your progress and I know you're still young but we need to accelerate your training for what is to come."

Cynder stood with puzzled expression. What was he talking about, something more advanced? She had no clue what he was getting at.

"Train me for what?" Cynder asked while tilting her head to the side.

"Cynder, follow us and we will show you what you'll be training for," Rulock said before turning around and walking ever further down the hall. Cynder happened to looked at Gaul and saw an evil grin form. He gave a quite sinister laugh before he also turned around and followed the hooded figure. Cynder gave a heavy gulp. She feared what they were up to, even her master. She hesitated for a few seconds but then followed the two.

They didn't walk long, since they were already close to where they needed to go. Once Rulock was at the door to the room, he stopped and waited for the black dragoness. Gaul was already next to the hooded figure when he arrived, and now they just waited for Cynder. Once Cynder caught up to Rulock and Gaul, she felt more worried than before. They stopped at a large door which looked to be made from stone, and she was nervous to see what was held inside.

"Now, we begin your true training. This will help you prepare for what is coming," Rulock announced.

"Prepare for what? What's coming?" she asked with a puzzled look across her features.

Rulock didn't reply, instead just walking over to the large, stone door. On the side of the doorframe was a long lever that stood out of the wall. He grabbed it with one hand and forcefully thrust it downwards. Inside the walls made a loud clash before the doors slid into the walls, opening up a passage. Once the doors fully opened, Rulock and Gaul entered to room. Cynder waited a few seconds as she was fascinated by the doors. She had never been in this area before and had never seen doors work like that.

After a few seconds, she snapped out of her trance and walked in. Once she was inside the room, the doors behind her closed automatically. She jumped when she heard the doors slam shut. She ran towards the doors and then clawed at them, thinking she was trapped. However, a voice from her master told her differently.

"It's alright, Cynder, there is another lever in here for us to escape out later. You should not worry little one," Rulock announced.

Cynder stood back on all fours and gave a sigh of relief, then turned around to face the room. However, when she did, she was in complete awe at the mass of the chamber. It had to been the largest room she had ever been in or even seen. The sheer size of the room was massive; it spanned about fifty meters in diameter in a circle shape and stood more than twenty meters high. The room was a lot brighter than the eerie red dim from the torches. This one had a sort of skylight in the top of it that spanned a good twenty feet across, bringing in plenty of daylight.

Even though the outdoor sun brought the light, there were still lit torches along the walls of the circle room. Cynder gazed all around the room. She saw a ledge about half way up and on top of the ledge stood four large ape statues looking down to the floor. Next to each ape stood two smaller apes doing to same. Cynder was curious why they were facing down but it didn't bother her much. As she looked further down the walls she noticed a fancy design all over the lower part of the room. She couldn't make out what the decorative pattern was suppose to be but she found it fascinating.

"Welcome to our dojo, Cynder," Rulock spoke.

"Dojo? What's that?" Cynder asked.

"A dojo is a room where we train our apes for combat. Now it is your turn to train for such event."

"What!?" Cynder shouted. "You want me to fight?"

Rulock gave a firm nod. "It is your destiny to fight, to help us win this war. This is what your kind does."

"N-no, this can't be. It feels wrong," Cynder disagreed.

"You cannot fight what you have been destined to do," Rulock spoke in a louder tone.

"No! I can't. I won't do it!" Cynder shouted at her master. Deep down Cynder knew it was wrong to fight, to kill. However, her mind was confused by what her master told her.

"You will do what I say. I am your master and you will obey me. Now get in your fighting stance and wait for my command!" the hooded figure demanded.

Cynder was taken aback. Rulock was rarely the one to shout. The few times before that he did it were in similar situations where she resisted him. The first was when she didn't want to kill animals, but she soon learned it was for her own survival. Maybe this was for the same reason, to survive.

"Yes, Master Rulock," Cynder sighed. Immediately afterward, she got into her fighting stance and waited for her master's command.

Once Cynder was in her fighting stance, Rulock pulled a lever and four doors all around the black dragoness opened. A few seconds later, two creatures came out from each door. These creatures looked a little familiar to Cynder, and just then it hit her. They were dragons. They stood a little more than twice the size of Cynder and were completely made out of straw and sticks. However, they still had real weapons like their horns, claws, wing blade, and tail blades. Cynder gasped once she realized what she was fighting against. She was fighting her own kind.

"Master Rulock, why am I fighting dragon dummies?" she asked worriedly.

"Because, Cynder, your own kind has betrayed you. This whole war raging on is because of it. You must claim back what has been lost."

"N-no, I-I can't. I wont," Cynder spoke while shaking her head. She then started to back away from the dragon dummies.

"Cynder, you fight!" Rulock shouted.

"No!" Cynder replied back as tears started to from around her eyes. Again, she was being forced to do something she felt was wrong, and she wanted it to stop.

With on snap from Rulock's fingers, the clan of eight training dragon dummies ran straight at Cynder with killing attacks. Cynder didn't fight, instead curling up into a ball and curling her wings over her body for as much protection as possible. However, it hardly did anything against what the dummies were going to do. Once the dummies surrounded her, they all started to attack the young black dragon without any mercy. Each dragon dummy clawed at her, leaving cuts in her body, also stabbing her with their tail and wing blades. Poor little Cynder didn't stand a chance. Blood covered her body which only made the dummies attack even more. Cynder hollered as loud as she could, pain filling her body as more and more powerful attacks were made.

"No, NO! Please stop, AH! You're killing me, no!"

***.*.***

"Cynder," a faint voice whispered.

"No, please, you're hurting me! No!" Cynder cried out.

"Cynder, wake up," the voice said, growing stronger.

"W-wha, who's there? No, stop!"

"Cynder, it's me. You're just dreaming. Wake up!"

The voice grew louder, and now Cynder could make out it's owner; it was Spyro, but where was he? Now Cynder didn't see anymore dragon dummies attacking her. She didn't see anything but darkness.

"S-Spyro? Where are you? I can't see you!" Now Cynder felt like someone was shaking her.

"I'm right here. Open your eyes, Cynder," Spyro answered.

Once the words left Spyro's muzzle, Cynder opened her eyes and could see a dark picture of a purple dragon; Spyro she thought. Cynder then realized he was the cause of the shaking.

"Spyro?" she muttered, but soon realized it was him. Cynder didn't waste a second. She thrust herself up and wrapped her forearms around him in a hug. This caught the purple dragon by surprise but soon he caught on and did the same.

"Oh, thank the ancestors it was just a dream," Cynder gave a sigh of relief. In her hug, Cynder glanced around the room and noticed Singe and Zackary were still asleep. To herself, she gave a sigh of relief that she didn't wake them.

"Cynder, what's wrong? What happened? Are you ok?" Spyro asked worriedly.

Cynder then ended the hug and rose to her feet. She turned around so she wasn't facing the purple dragon.

"I'm fine," she forced out. This caught the purple dragon off guard but he didn't dwell on it.

"…Do you want to talk about it?" Spyro asked in response.

"No," she blurted out. Cynder then realized how suddenly she spoke and apologized for her response. "I'm sorry, Spyro. I-I really just don't want to talk about it right now. I hope you understand."

"It's ok, Cynder. I understand. Just tell me you're alright," Spyro asked as a small grin formed.

"I'm alright, nothing to worry about," Cynder replied and also started a small grin. The sight of the black dragoness smiling caused Spyro to smile even more which caused Cynder to do the same. But then Cynder thought about something else and her smile disappeared.

"Spyro, I didn't wake you, did I?" she asked, hoping he was already awake.

"Well, yes, I was asleep, but don't worry. As long as you're ok, then I'm ok." Cynder's smile came back but smaller than before. "By the way, I think we should be getting up anyway."

"Um, Spyro?" Cynder asked the purple dragon.

"Yeah, Cynder?"

"I think I'm going to walk to the edge of the cave, get some fresh air. Care to join me?" Cynder asked. Spyro instantly rose to his paws and walked by Cynder's side, giving her a firm nod in agreement.

"I would love to," Spyro replied. He then wrapped his right wing over her flank and pulled her close to him. Both dragons then slowly walked out of the cave-like room, trying their hardest not to wake up the other two dragons. Luckily, they managed to exit the room without making a single sound.

Over on the other side of the room, Zackary was sound asleep with his older brother sleeping next to him about a meter away. Zackary was in a deep sleep but something, or someone could be heard inside the young black dragon's mind. Indeed, there was a voice, but Zackary didn't flinch as his mind was still at ease.

"Zackary, Cynder isn't the enemy. Your fear is the only enemy around you. Do not blame her for what she has done in her past, blame the fear you have carried on with you throughout the years. Let go of your fear, and you will let go of your enemy. Let the light shine in and start looking towards the future instead of the past. You might not see it in your eyes, but your enemy in your past will soon become your friend in the future," an older, calming voice whispered into his mind. Once the voice faded away, Zackary tossed a little and groaned before settling back down, growing deeper into his sleep.

*.*.*

A few minutes later, Spyro and Cynder were about half way out of the cave. They didn't rush their pace, walking a little slower than normal, just enjoying the silence and peaceful stroll. They weren't sure what time of day it was. They both thought it was still dark, however, they both didn't feel like they could sleep anymore and were even concerned that they overslept. Still, if that was the case, they wouldn't care all that much. They hadn't slept in really late in ages. Even though they've been sleeping in later than they have in a long time, they haven't had that all morning sleep.

A few more minutes went by in silent walking and both Spyro and Cynder could tell the cave was getting brighter. Both dragons looked at each other, now able to see each other a lot more clearly than before. This told the two dragons that the sun was up and shining. This also told Cynder than the storm had passed.

At last, the two young dragons finally rounded the corner and indeed, they saw sunlight from the outside. However, the sun wasn't high in the sky, just starting to rise over the mountains in the distance. Both Spyro and Cynder stared in awe as they woke up on such a beautiful sunrise. It wasn't night like they expected, nor late in the morning. It was dawn, a beginning of a new day. Spyro and Cynder still hadn't spoken a word, just staring at the glorious sight of the sunrise. They both continued to walk closer to the edge. Once they were about a meter or so away from the drop off, they stopped and stood there for a few moments.

"This is amazing," Cynder broke the silence. She then looked at Spyro and waited for him to do the same. It was only a second until Spyro looked at her with a grin across his features, telling Cynder he agreed with her.

"Shall we sit?" Spyro asked. Cynder gave a nod in agreement and both dragons sat down on their haunches, Spyro still having a wing around Cynder.

"It's so beautiful," Cynder spoke. The two dragons didn't say another word to each other for several minutes, just sitting there and watching as the sun slowly rose over the horizon.

After another five minutes of silent staring, Spyro opened his mouth to say something but hesitated and closed his muzzle. But then he uttered a faint sound again but didn't finish. However, on the third try, Spyro went at it and completed what he was going to say but when he did Cynder spoke too.

"I need to tell you something," they said in unison. They both chuckled a little once they realized what they did.

"You go first, Cynder," Spyro spoke politely.

"No, you," Cynder cut in.

"Ok," Spyro whispered. He then waited a few moments, preparing what he was going to say to her. He took in a deep breath and released it into a long sigh before he spoke.

"Cynder, I have something to tell you." Spyro trailed off for a moment.

"I think we've established that," she chuckled. "So what is it, Spyro?"

"Well, I have a secret to tell you myself. It's about Ignitus," Spyro sighed.

"I'm sorry, Spyro, but he wanted us to continue and he—" Cynder was cut short when Spyro interrupted.

"No, no, that's not it. Ignitus told me when a dragon dies, his or her spirit lives on, doesn't truly die. And, well, Ignitus is still alive."

"What? But how do you know this?" Cynder spoke with joy but then was wondering how he could be so sure; they did see him die after all.

"I mean he's not alive as we are, but his spirit still lives on. Cynder, I don't think I told you this but when you left the temple three years ago, I went off looking for you. That was when the Chronicler summoned me to him in my sleep, and thus how I was able to locate you." He paused for a breath. Cynder just watched and listened. "Anyway, after Ignitus died, he received the role of the new Chronicler and now, he summons me and I have been talking to him. I'm sorry I haven't told you sooner," Spyro explained.

"That's great, Spyro! So you can see him any time you want?" Cynder asked, joy filling her heart knowing that the fire guardian hadn't perished.

"Well, no, he only summons me when there is something important to tell me."

"So what has he told you?" Cynder asked curiously. Spyro hesitated for a few seconds but managed to speak.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you right now. I hope you understand." Spyro hated to keep secrets from the black dragoness, but he didn't have a choice. Ignitus didn't want him to reveal what he had been told yet.

"Spyro, you can trust me," Cynder pleaded.

"I know and I do, but it'll be against Ignitus' wishes. I'm sorry." Spyro felt guilty for keeping this from her but it was what Ignitus wanted, even though he didn't know why Ignitus would want him to keep this secret from her.

"It's ok, Spyro, I understand. I just don't understand why Ignitus would keep it from me." Cynder was a little upset but she knew there was a reason why. Ignitus would never keep anything from Cynder otherwise.

"I don't know either," Spyro added in.

"But that's great that you can still talk to him," Cynder said. Both dragons didn't utter a word for a few seconds, but then Spyro broke the silence.

"So, what did you want to say?" Spyro asked.

"Huh? Oh, right, sorry," Cynder snapped out of her trance from looking at the peaceful sunrise.

"I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for waking you this morning," Cynder apologized.

"Cynder, you don't need to apologize, it's alright."

"No, I need to. I was dreaming, of my past. I think I should tell you." Cynder lowered her head. She never wanted to think about her past but it somehow always crept back up. She thought if she told Spyro most of her past, the thoughts would go away.

For the next twenty minutes, Cynder told Spyro parts of her past she dreamt. She told him a little more about Rulock, how he took care of her, taught her how to hunt, and score pray twice her size. But she also told him about Gaul. The sound of the ugly ape king's name sent flares of hatred in the purple dragon's mind. Cynder told him how he would abuse her to the point where she bled and had serious gashes along her body. Spyro's flares of anger grew as she continued to talk about the evil ape king. What he was hearing made him wish he knew the full story before he fought Gaul, so he could kill him in the same way he abused his dragoness.

She also told him when she was forced to fight her own kind in a dojo but she refused to fight and was ripped to shreds by the dummies. Spyro felt so bad for the black dragoness, he still had his wing around her flank so he pulled her even closer. Spyro then took a paw and lightly stoked her neck.

"Cynder, you don't need to tell me this. I don't want you to be hurt by remembering your past. You can tell me when you become stronger and more comfortable," Spyro told her. Cynder looked at his light purple eyes and smiled before she answered.

"Ok, I'll tell you later," Cynder answered. "But, I do feel a little stronger talking about my past than before. Maybe I am feeling more comfortable."

For the next twenty minutes, both young dragons stared at the sunrise. The sun's orange color in the sky started to fade away and the normal blue was now more visible. They watched as they saw flocks of birds flying in the distance, barely able to hear their chirps but could make out a faint whistle, and could see herds of deer grazing the lands, as if they didn't have a thing to worry about. They watched as life started to restart as the sun grew higher, the lands becoming more active, though still peaceful.

Now that the sun had risen more than a sunrise, Spyro and Cynder had enough of such a peaceful view. It wasn't long after that until Spyro spoke.

"Cynder, do you want to head back and see if Singe and Zackary have woken?" he asked.

Cynder hesitated but soon answered. "Um, I don't know, what if Zackary is still mad at me?" She was worried what the young black dragon would do. Would he be better of worse than before?

"Don't worry, I'm here for you," Spyro smiled.

"Ok." Cynder returned his smile.

Once she agreed, Spyro retracted his wing and rose to his paws, and once he was up, Cynder did the same. Now that both were up, Spyro draped his wing around Cynder again and they both started to slowly walk back into the cave.

* * *

><p><strong>So, whatcha think of chapter 9-10? How did everyone like the dreams? And what the 'mystery voice' Zackary heard helping his trust with Cynder? Tell me what you think, in a review or a PM, I'd love to hear it.<strong>

**This chapter actually got longer than I expected, I was hoping 7,000 but instead I got over 10,000. XD Oh well, I ain't complaining.**

**Well, that is it for me, MARRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY! Praise the lord with all his blessing he shares upon you and your loved ones. God bless all of you and have a very marry Christmas. XD**

**Til next time.**


	11. Chapter 10

**And done. :D I am so sorry it took this late to upload this chapter! D: I hate to say I'm going to put it on this date and I done. :( I'm sooooooo sorry everybody. I WiLL, WILL! Update the next chapter on the 28th cause it's a special day. I won't get into detail til then but it has to do with something that involves a year. ;D can you figure it out?**

**anyway, this chapter was flub to do, it git a little longer than I thought it would but eh, they always do that. XD **

**at this time I want to thank all my readers and reviews. I actually would have quite after the 4th chapter if it wasn't for all of you! :D the reviews I receive sometimes bring years in my eyes. Yes, you might think I'm weird or maybe too emotional but it really means a lot that people like my work... Even when I can't write good. :(**

**well, sorry, I think I kept you here long enough. Just thought I should thank all of you, don't think I've been saying it enough. ok, that's it for me, on with the chapter. XD**

* * *

><p>Chapter 10<p>

A few minutes have passed since both Spyro and Cynder left their peaceful spot over the horizon; they now were heading back inside the cave to see if the other two dragons were up. They walked a little ways and they noticed they were close to the entrance to the room; they walked a little further and entered the cave-like room. Once they entered, they noticed it was well lit by a few torches on the wall and then they noticed two dragons in the middle, awake and ready to take on the day.

"Oh, good morning, Spyro, Cynder," the red dragon spoke politely.

"Good morning, Singe," Cynder replied.

"Did you sleep well?" Singe asked. Spyro and Cynder both looked at each other and both gave a light chuckle before Cynder answered.

"Well, we had a different experience but yes, I guess so," she replied. "What about you?"

"Well, I guess I could say I had a dream that I met the legendary purple dragon but actually, it wasn't a dream at all." Singe laughed at his joke and cause the other two dragons to laugh also, all but his younger brother who still hadn't said a word that morning. Cynder noticed Zackary's silence and was concerned about the young black dragon who hadn't spoken since his earlier outrage. Cynder still feared that he would mention something else that Cynder took away from him but she sucked up her fear and asked a simple question.

"What about you, Zackary? Did you sleep well last night?" Cynder worried what he would say, but she would rather have an answer than silence.

Zackary didn't say a word to the black dragoness, standing in the same position since the two dragons came in. However, after a whole minute of silence, Zackary responded to Cynder. "Yeah, it was ok." That was all he said but it was a major milestone to Cynder. Her heart filled with joy from his simple answer. Still, she didn't show her excitement to the other dragons, even Spyro.

"If you don't mind me asking, where were you two?" Singe asked curiously.

This time Spyro answered. "We were at the edge of the cave, staring at the magnificent sunrise."

"Oh yeah, Zackary and I do that all the time. It's a breathtaking view, isn't it?" Singe asked.

"It sure is," Cynder answered.

A few minutes went by and none of the dragons said a word to each other. Spyro and Cynder rested back on their haunches but Singe and Zackary still walked around the room. It took a while but Singe soon broke the silence.

"Spyro, Cynder, I've talked it over with my brother and we want you two to stay here while we go out and catch us something to eat."

"No, you don't have to," Spyro said as he looked at Cynder and she gave him a nod. "We can help."

"No, no, we insist. We feel that you've done so much in bringing peace to this world, that we think the least we can do is hunt up some food for you," Singe smiled.

Spyro and Cynder both smiled before one of them answered. "Thank you, that is really generous of you," the black dragoness said gratefully.

"Our pleasure." That was the last thing Singe said before they walked out the room, leaving the two heroes behind in the room, well lit from the torch.

Ten minutes later, Singe and Zackary made it to the end of the cave where it opened up to the new world. They both didn't say a word on their way to the edge, almost as if each one was walking alone. As they rounded the corner, the first thing they saw was a massive bright star in the sky; the sun. The sun wasn't high in the sky but it was just high enough to end a perfect sunrise. Both bothers walked up to the edge of the cave and looked out over the vast sea of life, covering all the lands.

"Thank the ancestors the storm passed on last night, right Zack? Zackary?" Singe questioned when his brother didn't reply. He looked at his younger brother and noticed he was staring blankly out over the cave, not even listening to a single word he said. "Zackary!" Singe shouted at his brother.

"What!?" Zackary shouted back, flinching when his eldest brother shouted and not knowing what the reason was.

"Did you hear a single word I said?" Singe asked.

"What? Oh, sorry, Singe, I was thinking about something. Haven't been able to get it out of my mind since I woke up," Zackary replied as he sat down and started to hit his head with a paw, trying to knock the thought out of his mind, but to no success.

"What's on your mind, Zack?" Sing cocked his head to the side.

"Um, ok. Last night, in my sleep, I heard a voice, like someone was talking to me." He paused.

"Someone was talking to you? But who?" Singe questioned.

"You see, that's just it, I don't know. It was a random voice that I never heard before. All I could make out of the voice was its tone. It was an older voice and a male, but it also talked calmly." He looked away from his older brother and over the horizon.

"Well, what did the voice say? Was it clear enough for you to remember?" Singe asked curiously.

"Actually, yes, it was. And surprisingly, I remember every word the voice said." Zackary took a breath before telling his brother what the voice said to him. "It said that Cynder wasn't the enemy, that my only enemy was the fear I carried throughout the years. It said that if I let go of my fear against Cynder, then I would let go of my enemy. And so my enemy will soon be my friend." Zackary trailed off as he talked, his voice growing quieter as he progressed on. However, Singe heard and understood every word he spoke. A few seconds went by. Singe didn't know if his brother was done talking, but after several seconds passed he assumed he was.

"Are you sure that's what it said? And how do you know it wasn't yourself who said that? It's a possibility," Singe questioned his brother.

"Yes, I'm positive and I know it wasn't me. I just don't quite understand what it means."

"Well, whoever spoke to you in your dream, I think it was saying to let go of your past, Zack. To believe in Cynder's words, trust what she says. Zackary, I know what Cynder did to us in the past is unforgettable, but sometimes you must forgive your enemies before you can move on." Singe paused for a second to take a breath. "Maybe this voice you heard was telling you to let go and move on. Maybe it was saying there is a great future ahead of us as long as you believe in her. Zackary, I trust her and the purple dragon. When will you?" Singe finished and waited for his brother's answer. He hoped it would be what he was expecting, to forgive the black dragoness.

"I'm sorry Singe, but I still have my doubts. Some things still don't make sense to me," Zackary replied. Singe's expectations were smashed when he spoke. That was the complete opposite of what he was hoping. However, he understood and knew he couldn't force his brother's decision

"…I'm sorry you feel that way. I do hope you will change your decision one day," Singe spoke somewhat firmly, though he didn't mean to. A few moments went by and not one of the brothers spoke a word. It wasn't until about two or three minutes later that Singe broke the silence.

"So, do you want to just stand here or do you want to get something to eat for us and our heroes?" Singe asked, looking down at his brother.

"You mean for us and Spyro, sure, but for Cynder, you handle that job," Zackary replied as she rose to his paws and walked ahead of the red dragon.

Singe rolled his eyes as the black dragon walked by. "Oh, brother," he mumbled under his breath.

Once they were off the subject, both dragons walked on the very edge of the cave. Their claws hung over the rocky edge, their eyes staring at the face of the drop, overlooking the pointed and jagged rocks that stood out, ready to take flight. Singe looked at Zackary and Zackary looked at Singe, determination across their features, preparing to take on the hunt. Zackary gave a firm nod, signaling Singe he was ready. Singe did the same and their sights returned to the scenery.

In unison, both dragons dug their hind claws into the rocky floor and propelled off the face of the edge and into the air. However, they both still had their wings against their flanks. They plummeted headfirst dangerously close to the rocky edge of the mountain. The two brothers fell at great speeds, growing ever closer to the ground. In addition to their fall, there were also sharp and jagged rocks scattered all over the mountain's edge from previous landslides. Luckily, at the last second, both Singe and Zackary spread their wings in unison and pulled up, barely a few meters away from the rocks.

"I love doing that!" Zackary hollered to his brother. Singe looked and smiled before setting his sights back in front of him.

They flew low to the ground, grazing the top of the trees, searching for any prey as they continued to their favorite place to hunt. A few minutes passed and the forest of trees ceased. Unfortunately they were unsuccessful in locating an early meal in the thick vegetation. However, they still had their lucky spot waiting. Now that the trees thinned out, all that was around was lush green grass as they entered a large meadow. This still wasn't their perfect hunting ground but it was a good potential spot for large game.

They scanned the area, hoping to find an early kill, however they still didn't see even a single rodent running across the field. Nevertheless, they didn't stop there. They continued on their path but still hoped they could snatch an earlier kill. About another five minutes passed and they were running out of the pasture still without a single sighting. Zackary and Singe had puzzled expressions across their features, unable to understand the lack of life.

"I don't get it," Zackary breathed. "We always spot life here before our spot, and we also saw a lot of animals from the cave. Why isn't there anything here?" Zackary questioned.

Singe didn't reply right away, instead taking a few moments to answer. "I'm not sure, Zack. I'm just as puzzled as you are. But fear not, we still have our winning location. I'm sure we'll catch something there."

"Aw, I was hoping to catch something sooner. That means if we catch something this far out, you'll make me carry it all the way back," Zackary complained.

"Quite your whining. It's either that or we don't eat." This time Zackary rolled his eyes at his eldest brother, however he was right and so he carried on.

It didn't take much longer until they finally made it to their hunting grounds. They felt relieved and yet disappointed that they made it to their ground, happy that they found their territory but also frustrated that they didn't catch anything, or for that mater even see any potential catch or prey. Once in better view, they noticed in their sight where the meadow ended and another thick wooded forest came again. They also noticed tall grass, standing about a meter or so off the ground, dried and brown, whipping in the light breeze. In addition, between the grassy pasture and the forest was a one-way stream cutting a path and dividing the two different lands. This was their best and favorite hunting spot.

They came up fast, lowering their paws and back flapping a few times at the last second to slow them down enough to land by the twisted creek. On impact, both Singe and Zackary crouched down low, under the tall grass and out of sight of any prey. Then they slowly walked towards the creek until they were only a few meters away.

They looked all around but didn't see anything, not even a bird or a rabbit, but they were sure something would turn up sooner or later. Ten minutes later and nothing was to be spotted, ten minutes of anxiously waiting in the tall grass, doing nothing but staring all around, hoping for a meal to wander by. Both dragons were tired of waiting, and they couldn't believe that nothing had strolled up to the watering hole. Could the animals know that they are being hunted and moved away, or was there something else hunting them?

Another ten minutes passed, and this started to irritate the two dragons who couldn't believe it was taking so long. However, regardless of their annoyance with the wait they both stayed. Their wait soon paid off as two deer, both medium size, one a doe and the other a buck, slowly walked in the tall pasture of dead grass, inching their way closer to the two young dragons.

"Singe, Singe," Zackary whispered as he waved his right paw. Singe heard the black dragon and looked in his direction to see what he was whispering about. Once Zackary had his attention, the black dragon pointed with a claw at the two unaware deer.

"Excellent," he muttered under his breath as a somewhat evil smirk formed around his features.

Both dragons kept as quiet as they could, waiting and watching as the two deer slowly walked to the stream. But then something popped into the black dragon's mind: which one? Were they going for the doe of the buck? He looked to his older brother for support, and luckily Singe already seemed to know what he was thinking. Singe then raised a paw over his head, telling his younger brother they were going to go after the male deer. Then he waved his paw, telling Zackary to move more to the left and try to surround the deer when they walked closer.

"Perfect," Zackary spoke to himself, waiting for the right time to move in. The deer walked slowly so it took a few moments until Zackary could sneak behind them. Eventually, the time came and Zackary crept behind the two deer unseen. Now that Singe couldn't see his younger brother he couldn't tell where his exact location was or his timing. He just stuck to his instincts like he had always done in the past and hoped all their training in the same spot would work again.

Zackary felt the same thing; he couldn't see his brother anymore so he didn't know exactly where he was, but whenever they were in sticking range in the past they somehow always pounced in unison. Zackary slowly followed the two deer from behind, still unnoticed from any life, slowly crawling unseen. His maw started to water. He and his brother hadn't eaten deer meat in over a month, surviving on small mammals such as rabbits and sometimes a fox if they were lucky. They hadn't encountered any large meals in a long time.

Zackary knew they had only one shot at catching a deer; it would be the same technique they always tried, however, not all the time they succeed. They must catch one this time, for them and their guest. At last, Zackary made it to his final sector on the left of the deer, close to the stream where the grass turned lush but still hidden in the tall dead grass. Luckily, he managed to walk up closer to the deer than before. He was a near five meters away and yet the deer never knew they were being watched.

A few more agonizing minutes passed as the deer inched their way towards the small stream. They were grazing on some green grass, however their backs were turned towards each other so if the two dragons were to attack now, the deer would see them and have time to react. Finally the two hunters caught a break. The two deer walked up to the brim of the stream and looked around to spot any predators but didn't sense any danger. This was what Singe and Zackary had been waiting for. They had their chance.

By now, the two deer had lowered their necks close to the water and slowly started to drink from the refreshing stream. Zackary saw the opportunity and got ready to attack. However, a split second decision delayed the black dragon. Did his brother see the same opportunity as he did? Was he going to strike when Zackary did? He didn't know what to think. He would hate to attack and miss, leading to a failed hunt that would be his fault because his brother was waiting for a better chance. Nevertheless, he shook his head side to side, shaking the thoughts out of his head; he was going to attack now.

However, now that Zackary was even closer to the deer, he realized that the buck was too big and that they would never be able to carry an animal that big back home. The buck was nearly twice the size of the doe; their best chance was to go after the female. Zackary worried over the decision, his brother having told him to target the male. It took a few seconds to think over the choice but then he made up his mind, deciding to go for the doe. He hoped his brother would see the same problem.

Zackary was very close to the deer now, only a few meters away. This surprised the black dragon; he couldn't believe how close he was able to get to the mammals without them seeing him. He suspected the tall grass coved his appearance enough for the deer to walk by him unseen. He then crouched until his chest brushed the ground, his hind legs raised up a little, ready to spring out. He waited a few more seconds until he couldn't anymore.

Then, Zackary dug his claws into the soil and sprung out his legs, propelling him skywards into the air and towards his pray. He moved at lightning speeds, unnoticeable to the unaware deer. Only once he was about a meter from his catch did the deer look back and notice the black dragon. It wanted to run away, but with the dragon so close to her it was too late to do any more than watch in fear as its end approached.

Time seemed to slow down for the deer and Zackary as he came closer. It seemed to take ages to reach the deer, but at the same time it seemed to go too fast. Once he was about to ram the deer Zackary noticed a familiar red dragon shooting towards the same deer at a slight delay. In that short time, Zackary felt relieved that his brother had attacked at the same time and on the same deer, like they had done in the past.

Time still seemed slow for Zackary as he rammed the female deer. He felt like he had plenty of time to react in what he was doing to bring the doe down. Finally, his full weight impacted the deer on its left side, and he didn't waste any time before digging his talons into her left flank. Once he was literally on the deer, he then clamped his jaws on her neck. The deer gave a loud shriek in pain as the dragon's teeth and talons dug further into her flesh.

Just then, another impact hit her but this time on her right flank. This time, Singe rammed the deer but with more force, enough to send the deer off balance. The deer hollered for its loved one but the male deer was so frightened, he bolted off into the woods, leaving his mate to die by the two dragons. She started to fall *from* the weight of the two dragons, tipping towards Zackary and finally collapsing onto the ground, landing on Zackary's tail but not hard enough to hurt him. The doe gave a finale cry out to the world, screaming her goodbyes before closing her eyes, never to see the world again. Shortly after, she died.

Zackary slowly rose off the dead deer, the sight of red blood gushing out of the deer's neck and staining the ground making him feel sad. He felt bad for the young doe, wishing now he hadn't killed it for their needs. However, then he thought about how if he didn't kill it or any other animals he wouldn't survive. This was how his kind lived. Despite his feeling going to the deer, he was glad they caught a meal for them and their guests. He then walked to the other side of the deer and helped his brother up off the doe.

"Nice job, Zack," Singe said with excitement. "Looks like you're getting a better eye on locating the perfect time to attack."

"Wait, how did you know I was going for the doe?" Zackary questioned.

"I didn't, but after noticing the buck was much bigger than I thought I just hoped you would have gone with the doe also." Singe smiled. "You did good Zack." Zackary then paused before answering.

"Yeah, I guess, thanks, Singe," Zackary spoke dully. He was excited they caught the deer but still couldn't help but feel sorry for it.

"What's the matter, Zack?" Singe asked with worry as he cocked his head to the side.

"What? Oh, nothing. I just feel for this young deer, how it lost its life because of us."

"It's alright Zack, I know how you feel, but this is how we live. This is how the cycle of life works." Singe paused for a moment as he thought of another example. "Remember the last animal we caught?"

"Yeah, I think it was a bobcat. What about it?" Zackary asked

"Well, you got a little emotional with that one. And do you know what bobcats eat?" Singe questioned to his brother.

"I think smaller animals, like rabbits and mice." Zackary looked at his talons as he thought about the question.

"Exactly. They eat smaller animals and we eat them. It's just the way it goes, nothing you can do about it." Singe pointed to his younger brother, hoping he'd understand the way of life.

Zackary thought about it for a few seconds, until it came to him and he understood what he was talking about. "Oh, I see, yeah, I understand now. But, I still feel bad, it could have been one of us, ya know?"

"It's ok, Zack, I sometimes feel the same way. I also wish there was another way but unfortunately, there isn't." Singe finished speaking and looked back at the dead deer. He noticed the blood from its sides and neck was still oozing out. The ground underneath and around the deer was soaked in a dark redish-black pool of blood; blood so plentiful that it flowed into the clear stream, changing the color of the water from a transparent substance into a death stream of blood. It was not a pleasant sight to the two dragons, especially Zackary. He couldn't stand the sight of blood. However, he normally ignored it and didn't show the churning feeling he felt in his stomach.

"Well, I guess we should bring this back to the cave. I'm sure Spyro and Cynder are starving by now," Singe chuckled. However, his brother didn't say a word. A small smile tugged the side of his muzzle but soon vanished.

"Zack, can you help me with the deer? I'm trying to drag it into the stream so we can wash the blood off." Singe asked as he clamped his jaws on the deer's upper neck and started to drag it. Zackary remained silent, but he walked up to the deer and helped his brother drag the carcass into the stream.

It didn't take long to drag it into the water, considering it was still a small and young doe, about Sing's size. Once it hit the water, it made a small splash and the water around it instantly turned red. The carcass floated above the water as both dragons washed the blood off its fur and out of the gashes. It didn't take long until the blood stopped flowing from the deer's wounds and the water around it started to clear up. They then slowly pulled it out of the water and thought of a plan for how to bring it back to their home.

"Alright, Zack, let's load the deer on your back and we'll fly back to the cave, ok? Now crouch down," Singe said before dragging the dead deer over towards Zackary.

Zackary stared at his brother with wide eyes, completely caught off guard by his remark. Was he serious, joking, or mad? He really thought he was serious when he came closer with the dead animal in his jaws. The deer was a little bigger than he was. How was he ever going to get it back to the cave? It took a while before Zackary answered but in a high tone.

"Are you crazy!? That deer is bigger than me! How on earth do you expect me to bring it back home!?"

"Relax, Zack, I'm only joking. I don't expect you to carry this deer back, its way too big for you… Ha, it's almost too big for me," he joked as he started to smile. Zackary couldn't help but smile back, relieved that it was one of his brother's usual jokes. He gave a sigh.

"You know, I hate it when you do that," Zackary breathed heavily. Singe gave another light chuckle.

"Come on, help load it on my back and I'll try to fly it back." Once he finished speaking, he crouched down on his haunches and waited for his brother to drag the deer on his back. Zackary walked up to the dead and wet deer, grabbed it by the neck, and started to pull it over his brother. It was a big load, but he thought Singe shouldn't have too much trouble flying it back to the cave on his back. Still Zackary worried if he could make the journey.

Shortly after, Zackary finished dragging the easily one hundred pound doe over his older brother's back. Once the full weight of the deer was on him, Singe slowly rose to his feet. It was a little harder for him to rise up to his paws but nonetheless it didn't seem to faze him too much with the extra weight on his back. Once he rose fully he took a few steps closer to his brother, just testing how much harder it would be to walk, but surprisingly he walked with ease.

"Ready?" Singe asked.

"Ready," Zackary replied, but then he paused for a few moments. "Are you sure you can handle the extra weight?" He worried for his brother. The weight of the deer was like Zackary riding on his brother's back while flying normally but with some extra weight; it seemed too much for him.

"I'll be fine, Zack, don't worry about me," Singe smiled at the black dragon.

"Ok," he spoke unsurely. "Just don't push it."

With that, Zackary nudged his head forward, indicating for his brother to go first. Singe caught on and started to get a running start. Considering the extra weight, Singe couldn't jump into the air and become airborne like normal and instead had to get enough speed to get forward momentum. The red dragon sprinted for a few seconds until he felt that he was running fast enough. Once so, he spread out his wings and jumped into the air, kicking his rear paws off the ground as hard as he could to get maximum height. Instantly, he started to flap his wings and luckily he maintained altitude and he was well on his way back to the cave with a meal big enough for all four dragons.

Zackary, still on the ground, noticed his older brother was steadily flying back to their home. He was a little surprised he gained altitude so fast, but it seemed with his size and strength it was very possible to the red dragon. Zackary didn't hesitate and he jumped into the air and caught up to his brother in a matter of moments.

Several minutes went by in their flight back home and both dragons flew in silence. Singe flew slower than average but still maintained a steady speed. Zackary's doubts were being washed away the further they flew. They never flew back anything this big, normally bringing back small animals such as rabbits, foxes, and even bobcats but never a young doe. Usually when they caught something too big they just ate it on the spot.

About another ten minutes went by and the two dragons were still far from their home. Singe seemed to slow down from the extra weight as they left the presence of the meadow and flew over the dense forest. They were much higher than when they flew over it earlier that morning. Considering their cave was over half way up the mountain and that Singe was carrying a body, they had to gradually gain altitude and reach the same height of the cave entrance before they entered.

Another ten minutes or so went by and Singe really began to show signs of exhaustion as he slowed his pace almost to a hover. Zackary was concerned about his older brother and wanted to help but didn't know what to do. He thought about letting Singe rest and have him take the deer for the rest of the way but he would never be able to carry twice his weight. It didn't take long until Zackary suggested an idea to Singe.

"Singe, do you want to rest for a little while?" He looked to his right at his brother with worry in his eyes.

"No, no, I can make it, we're almost there," Singe panted.

"Please don't be stubborn."

"No, Zack, if we stop now then it'll be harder to gain this height to enter our cave. We must keep going. Don't worry, I'll be fine," Singe finished and pushed himself a little harder.

"Ok then," Zackary said as he rolled his eyes.

For the next ten minutes, both dragons flew slowly on their way back home. Zackary could easily notice Singe was slowing down with every passing minute. He wasn't going to last much longer. However, Singe didn't need to fly much further because as they rounded a corner of the mountain their cave entrance was visible to their eyes. Once they saw their living quarters coming into view, they both felt a wave of excitement, especially Singe. The sight of the cave hole sent a wave of relief throughout his body; he was almost home to rest. However, what caught the red dragon's brother off guard was he was gaining speed.

Finally, what felt like hours to the red dragon, they were only a few moments away from the cave entrance. Singe was so thrilled that he could finally rest his now aching wings. Zackary saw the determination in his stare, but he was exhausted and looked like he could drop out of the sky at any second. Luckily, he didn't and proceeded on towards the cave.

After a few more moments, Singe and Zackary finally made it back to the cave with their large meal. Zackary fell back behind Singe and let him go in first, knowing what was going to happen, so Singe was the first to enter. However, as soon as he entered the first meter, his leathery wings collapsed and he plummeted to the stony cave floor. He didn't crash hard but he did crash fast. As soon as he hit the ground he skidded across the floor, the deer flying off his back and into the air. Singe tumbled across the floor for several meters. Once he finally came to a complete stop the deer fell right next to him and he lay motionless on the ground, limbs all spread out and his head laying sideways on the ground.

Zackary watched helplessly in fear as his brother crashed hard on the stone cave floor. He panicked as he didn't know if he was hurt or worse. Once Zackary flew into the cave, he instantly retracted his wings to his body and fell front paws first onto the cave surface. He didn't waste any time and bolted towards his collapsed brother.

"Singe, Singe, are you alright?" Zackary shouted. He looked at his motionless brother. His eyes were closed, his head lay flat on the ground, and his paws and wings were all spread out. This worried the black dragon even more.

"Never better," Singe muttered while his eyes were still closed and he still lay motionlessly.

Zackary flinched a little, both in relief and in fear when his brother answered. He had mix emotions flowing in his mind, glad his brother spoke but also angry that he scared him. "Singe! You scared the heck out of me. Can you please warn me next time you do that? I mean, I knew you were going to crash but you didn't move after that, what the heck?"

"Hey, I feel so much better now that I don't need to fly a hundred pound deer on my back. Why get up when I can relax after a crash?" Still, Singe talked without opening his eyes or even moving a muscle.

"To tell me that you are alright," Zackary firmly announced.

"Aw, relax, Zack. I'm ok. I'm even better now that my wings won't fall off," he chuckled. This caused Zackary to chuckle a little bit too.

"Well, ok… maybe I overreacted a little. Ready to take the deer to the others or do you want to lay here lazily for the next night or two?" he joked.

"Ha-ha, nah, I think I'll get up next week, maybe longer," the red dragon laughed before finally opening his eyes and retracting his wings as well as his limbs. He slowly rose to his paws and groaned in tiredness, but once he finally rose completely, he rotated his neck until a loud _pop_ broke the silence. "Ah, that's better."

"Ah, I hate it when you do that." Zackary flinched because of his brother's neck popping. He always hated hearing the sound of joints popping back in place. It always grossed him out when he heard the sound.

Zackary then walked over between his brother and the dead deer. He saw that his brother started to crouch down again so he could carry the deer back but Zackary walked in front of him, stopping him from what he was doing.

"I'll take it from here. You've done the hardest part already," Zackary announced. He noticed a small grin forming across his brother's muzzle that caused his to smile back. Zackary didn't waste any time and crouched down to his haunches, waiting for his brother to load the deer onto his back. Once Singe finished, Zackary now had the weight of an animal a lot heavier than he was on his back. He struggled to get to his paws at first but with the help of his brother, he managed to rise within seconds.

"Thanks for the help," the black dragon spoke.

"No problem," Singe replied before starting to walk on into the dark cave.

The first few steps were hard for the black dragon. He didn't remember ever carrying this much weight on his back before. He wondered if he could make the long walk into the cave without collapsing. Nevertheless, he looked back to his older brother, the determination he had in his eyes. He hadn't given up and had made it all the way back to the entrance of the cave. If Singe could do it, then so could he.

A few minutes went by and Zackary felt a little tired from walking with the deer but motivated. He refused to listen to his body telling him to stop, forcing himself to keep going. He wanted to become stronger that he was, to prove to his brother that he was growing up and that he could handle life on his own. However, little did he know, he had a lot more to learn.

Singe and Zackary continued to walk but at a slow pace, the extra weight on Zackary really taking its toll on him. However, he wasn't going to stop. The two dragons hadn't muttered a word since they entered the poorly lit cave, but Singe soon broke the silence.

"How are you holding up Zackary?" Singe asked but already had an idea of the answer to the question.

"Well, it's quite heavy, phew, but I'll be ok," Zackary said at length.

"Do you want me to take over?" the red dragon asked.

"No, no, I can do it," he answered somewhat loudly, though it wasn't his intention to.

"Zack, please don't be stubborn. If you need to take a break then I will take over." Singe was a little worried. He didn't want his brother to hurt himself or overdo it. He knew his brother was just like him and Singe didn't want his younger brother to end up hurt because he was too stubborn. "Now where have I heard that before?"

"Singe, really, I can handle it." Zackary looked at his brother and Singe looked back. Normally the red dragon could tell if his brother was telling the truth or lying but this time, he couldn't tell in the poor lighting. He stared at his older brother for a few seconds and then looked at the ground in front of him. He panted lightly as he started to weaken, but he wasn't going to stop. Singe continued to stare at his younger brother; he wished he could take over so he wouldn't worry about Zackary. Nevertheless, he gave a sigh and focused but on what was in front of him.

Several more minutes went by and by now, Zackary wanted to collapse from exhaustion. However, he was almost back to their room-like cave and his ordeal would end. He pushed himself hard, his brother by his side. They were now only a few meters away from their room. And after another moment Singe and Zackary finally mad it back into their room with a fresh meal for all four dragons.

They weren't sure if the two other dragons were still in the room, but Zackary didn't care. He was just glad that he could get the dead deer off his back. Both brothers entered the room and sure enough they both saw a black dragoness and a purple dragon laying on the ground, talking to each other. Both Spyro and Cynder froze when the two brothers entered the room. They didn't say anything until they walked a little further into the torch light, revealing the cargo on Zackary's back. They instantly rose to their feet when they saw him struggling with the heavy load.

"Whoa, we didn't think you two would catch anything that big," Spyro spoke in surprise. "Here, let us help you with that." Spyro and Cynder then walked over to Zackary to help him but the black dragon turned them down.

"No, please, I can do it," he stubbornly replied. The two dragons were taken aback by his remark but nonetheless did what he said and let him handle it.

Once the other dragons let him continue, he walked over to the middle of the room and slowly lowered his back so the deer would slide right off. Once the weight of the animal was off his back he gave a heavy sigh of relief. Finally, he could relax. He stretched his body and like his brother, popped a few joints, though strangely when he did it the noise didn't bother him.

"You didn't need to get anything this big; we could have helped if you told us," Cynder offered even though it was too late.

"No, no, no, we wanted to do something special for you two. I mean, it's the least we can do," Singe spoke while waving a paw.

"Well, thank you very much. You two are very sweet to do something like this…even for me." Cynder lowered her head as a glimpse of her past entered her mind, but within a second or two she shook it out of her head.

"Cynder, we'll do anything for you. I consider us as friends now and what are friends for?" Singe replied.

"That's very nice of you to say that," Cynder replied, "Shall we?" She brought her paw up and pointed towards the deer. The other dragons nodded and they all walked around the deer. All except for Singe, who walked in the other direction. He then grabbed a lit torch in his jaws and walked back. He walked in between Zackary and Spyro, placed the torch on the ground where it had a flat surface to stand on its own, and sat down on his haunches between the torch and his brother. One by one, each dragon reached over at the deer and cut off a chunk of meat.

For the next couple of hours, Spyro, Cynder, Singe, and Zackary talked while they ate their meal. Singe and Zackary told the two legendary dragons about their hunt while Spyro and Cynder told them what they were doing while they were gone hunting. All seemed to enjoy their conversation. Even Zackary seemed to open up more to Cynder, the voice in his dream seeming to take away his suspicion and leaving behind trust. He laughed and joked around; the most the black dragoness has seen him. Deep down, Cynder felt happy that the black dragon trusted her more, although there were still disbeliefs in the black dragon, it was enough for Cynder to realize that one day he could rely on her.

* * *

><p><strong>I JUST BROKE THE 100,000 WORD MARK! YAY! You don't know how good that feels right now. XD<strong>

**so whatcha think? I hope the ending was ok. Didn't know what else to say. :Pi hope you all liked it. Please tell me what you thought about the chapter and how my story could be improved. I'd like to know. **

**So, it seems Zackary is opening up to Cynder. XD but, will it last or go up in flames by another tragic memory? **

**I have one more announcement to make before I'm done. I want to give a big thanks to DragonMaster000 who has been BRing my story. I should have said that a long time ago so I apologize. i will admit that my English isnt all too good at all. I'm still trying to learn but he seems to help me out a lot. So, thank you so much DM000. **

**Well, I think that's all I wanted to say, so... Only one thing left to say and I think you'll know the words. XD Til next time. XD see ya on the 28th. **


	12. Chapter 11

**WAZZUP EVERYBODY!? Like I said, another chapter and on the 28****th**** of January. I am so happy to update this chapter, you know why? I'll tell you why. Today, January 28, 2013, has been one year since I started writing. XD One year ago today, I had the idea to start writing a story and thus, Age of Convexity way born. XDXDXDXDXD **

**This has been the greatest day of my writing EVER! It took a lot of work and a little time to do it in but it's up. Another great thanks for DragonMaster000 who Bred this chapter. He was able to look over this 13,828 word chapter in a days time! **** :O Thanks man, you're the best!**

**Ok, I think that's it. This is another filter chapter but trust me, the real action will begin in a few more chapters. Things will heat up, just watch…er…read. **

**Enjoy chapter 11-12**

Chapter 11

Darkness rained in. Nothing was visible. Not even a glimmer of light shone through the unspeakable blackout. Also, nothing could be heard, all silence, not even a creak from someone walking on the floor. But it wasn't a dreading silence. No, this was a peaceful quiet, as if all the troubles in the world vanished by being invisible. This silence went on for several more moments. However, soon a quiet knocking sound was heard. It sounded almost unnoticeable at first but soon amplified every other knock.

Then, just when the constant knock grew so great, light started to shine through. It grew brighter and brighter. But, when the light washed away the darkness, all was blurry and unfocused. Soon, after a minute or so, the blurry light came into focus and a picture was visible. This picture was a large, bright room with decorative design all through the walls, ceiling, and even the floor. There were pillars that stood more than ten meters tall and less than a meter around, and too had its fancy work. The room looked to be like a temple but wasn't exactly. The room belonged to the hero named Spyro and his brother Sparx.

Sparx slowly looked around the room, first caught off guard by where he was but soon remembering. The yellow dragonfly lay on a massive red pillow-like mat that was on the ground next to the window in the room. To him, the pillow seemed gigantic but to his brother, it would seem just the right size.

Sparx slowly pushed his body up with his tiny hands, looking around in search of where the noise that woke him up came from. He was still dazed from his deep sleep so he seemed a little slow in his movements. After a few moments and nothing was found, Sparx heard the knock again; it was coming from the door. The yellow dragonfly didn't waste any time and flew over to the door. Because of the size of the wooden door and his tiny hands, he couldn't open the door on his own so he asked who it was.

"Who is it?"

"My name is Claris. I came with a message from Volteer. May I come in? " a female voice asked.

"Yes, sure, come on in," Sparx replied. Just shortly after he answered, the big, heavy, wooden door slowly started to creak open, then a short mole entered the room. She didn't go far into the room, mostly just staying a few feet from the doorframe.

"Thank you, Master Sparx." She bowed in respect. "Volteer has summoned me to bring you down to the main temple of the city. It's not too far from here."

"Oh, um, ok. Yeah, let's go," Sparx mumbled. He wasn't sure what the yellow dragon wanted, hoping he had information about his brother. He wanted to ask the mole why Volteer wanted to see him but he also wanted to hear from the guardian himself if there was any good news. Therefore, he waited a little longer to hear from the yellow dragon.

He then flew out of his master room and the mole slowly pushed the door closed but with a bit of effort. Once she closed it completely, she singled Sparx to follow as she walked slowly down the halls, passing rooms left and right. The hallway they went down was quite large for the mole and of course for Sparx. The hall spanned an easy two adult dragons standing side-by-side and as tall as three dragons standing on each other. Clearly it was a massive building meant for dragons.

Sparx flew behind Claris quite slowly; her pace wasn't fast at all. Sparx felt that his brother hadn't reached the city after all; if he had, then they would be moving a lot faster. However, he didn't want to doubt the possibilities. But after the ten minute mark and they were still on the same level, Sparx couldn't take the sluggish pace.

"Um, excuse me," Sparx said and the mole turned her head and faced the dragonfly. "Yeah, I don't want to sound pushy but do you mind if we go a little faster?"

"Oh, certainly Master Sparx. I apologize; I do tend to walk a little slow." She laughed a little.

"Thank you."

Finally, now that they were moving a little faster, they exited the temple within a mater of minutes. However, they still had a journey to reach the main temple where the electricity guardian awaited. Once Sparx was outside, he soon realized what devastation the storm brought that previous night.

He looked left and right, up and down. All that surrounded him was debris from building and greenery. "Holy crap, what the heck happened last night?" Sparx blurted out.

"The storm last night, it did some damage to our city," the lady mole replied.

"I can see that, like this city needs any more destruction," Sparx spoke.

"We are not certain what the storm was but we are sure lucky that it didn't get much worse." The mole was the last to reply.

They wandered around on their way to Volteer. Sparx noticed many trees and shrubs inside the city were either on the ground or thrown against homes and on other buildings. There were also sections of roofs and chimneys he noticed that looked to be ripped from the buildings and brought down on some walkways. Obviously, the storm that hit the previous night brought havoc to the great city. However, despite the damage he saw, it wasn't as bad as it seemed. It all seemed that it could be cleaned up within a day or two. Overall, compared to the destruction of the city after Malefor was brought down, this wasn't even a scratch compared to what it was like.

They continued down the streets, Sparx's eyes still wandering around on the damage. However, even though the damage wasn't serious, the things that took the hardest blow were the trees inside the city. Most were uprooted and in need to be replaced. They continued for another ten minutes, still having a distance to go but getting closer. Sparx completely forgot the thought of his brother and thought about the citizens. Is everyone alright? Is there anyone hurt? Is there anything I could do to help? The thoughts flowed in his mind.

To Sparx, time seemed to go by fast as he worried about everyone in the city. He didn't realize how close he was to the main temple until Claris stopped in front of him. "Whoa, whoa, why are we stopping here?" Sparx asked.

"We are here, Master Sparx," the mole replied.

"Oh…well, thank you." Sparx turned red in his face, feeling a little embarrassed.

The mole faced the yellow dragonfly and gave a bow. Sparx also bowed, and then watched the mole walk away, returning back to the temple. Sparx faced a set of big wooden double doors, one cracked open a little, big enough for him to fly in. However, before he flew in, he hovered and took a deep breath and he then exhaled slowly. He hoped for good news, he hoped for his brother. Then, he entered the building.

Once Sparx was in the building, he noticed torches were all over the walls. Huge chandeliers with torches all around them hung from the ceilings about ten meters or so off the ground. It wasn't too bright inside, the only light coming from the torches considering there were no windows inside the temple. In the middle of the massive building stood a large yellow dragon talking to a mole. Unfortunately, he didn't see his brother but he wasn't giving the thought up just yet.

He hovered in the same spot until Volteer was done talking to the mole. After a few minutes or so, the mole started to walk away, leaving the guardian alone. Sparx felt relieved that he didn't need to wait long to talk to the electricity dragon. He then flew over to him at a speedy pace.

"Hey, hey mister Volt," Sparx said as he waved his tiny had at the large dragon.

Volteer heard a noise and started to turn around. Once he did, he noticed a glowing yellow dot flying towards him. "Ah yes, Sparx, you made it. I have been waiting to talk to you about something. Glad you could make it on this remarkable, intriguing, wonderful, stupendous, glorious day." Volteer babbled on.

"Yeah, yeah, it's nice now but what is it you want to tell me?" Sparx said somewhat excitedly.

"Ah yes, I wanted to talk about the storm we had last night," the yellow dragon replied.

"Oh, about the storm huh?" Sparx said, his tone dropping. That wasn't the answer he had been looking for, but he had known it was a long shot.

"Precisely. Yesterday was a tragic, disastrous, apocalyptic, day. The storm did bring damage to our recovering city." Volteer talked as he slowly walked to the exit of the building with Sparx closely next to him.

"Yeah, I noticed that when I came here. I didn't think the storm would do that much damage," Sparx replied as he hovered next to the yellow guardian's head. He slowly followed him outside the temple and into the destruction of the once more weakened city. As they went into the open, Sparx followed Volteer as he wandered the streets of the city. All the moles were steadily working, trying to clear off the streets and homes from all the fallen trees, repairing the damage that was done to their homes.

"Oh yes, this storm had potential to bring such devastation, destruction, obliteration, to our fine city. But do you know what type of storm brought this damage the previous day?" Volteer asked as he looked to his right and at the glowing, yellow dragonfly.

"Uh, a big ass storm?" Sparx looked at the sky as he thought about the question he received.

"Well, yes, but I was looking for the particular wall of clouds," Volteer chuckled.

"Oh, well, a super cell?" Sparx questioned.

"You're getting close to the theory of the possibility, Sparx." Volteer then stopped dead in his tracks to finish what he was saying. He stopped when the streets opened up into a giant circle in what seems to be the exact middle of the city. "That there storm was greater than all super cells. Sparx, what we witnessed last night was a massive wall of cumulus clouds forming a hurricane."

"You've got to be kidding me," Sparx laughed loudly. "That couldn't have been a hurricane. They last longer than that and are way more destructive than that." Sparx still laughed as he talked. He really thought that the guardian had lost his mind when he thought it was one of nature's strongest and deadliest storms. However, the talkative guardian wasn't joking, nor out of his mind. He spoke the truth to his hypothesis.

"Sparx, unfortunately, what I predict is most likely what happened and it is quite possible for our location." Volteer took a breath before continuing. "The great city lives next to the ocean. Hurricanes form hundreds of miles from here. Only a certain time a year, these massive storms will follow the ocean and eventually up the coast. Unfortunately, the city lies in the path of these behemoth storms. However, we haven't seen a hurricane in over a century." Volteer finished for another breath.

"Why is that?" Sparx questioned.

"Because of Malefor," Volteer breathed. Sparx tapped a finger against his chin until a thought popped into his head.

"So wait, that massive, no good, rotten dirt bag actually…saved the city from a storm but tried to destroy the city himself? Sheesh, he could have saved his efforts if he let a much bigger hurricane take out the city." The yellow dragonfly crossed his arms.

"Your words do show a waste of efforts but not exactly what the circumstances played out. The reason why there weren't any storms is because Malefor's volcano was so great, the ash and soot poisoned the rain water and moved the direction of the storm's path around the city. It formed a barrier similar to a giant force field within one hundred miles from the volcano. Now that he is gone the direction of the clouds has been restored to its natural state. But unfortunately, so have our severe storms in life," he explained.

The electricity dragon's constant babbling overwhelmed Sparx; it was a lot to take in. However, after a few moments of mumbling what the guardian said and pointing his finger everywhere, he finally got every word Volteer said. "Ok, yes, got it…Yeah but I rather have bad storms than a disintegrating world but that's just me," Sparx announced.

"As would I, Sparx," Volteer chuckled a little. Both Sparx and Volteer didn't say a word for a few minutes. But then, Sparx broke the silence with a question that hadn't been answered.

"Wait a sec, if you say that was a hurricane, why wasn't it that destructive as you say they are?" Sparx questioned once more.

"Oh yes, it appeared that the hurricane wasn't as big as they normally get. In addition, it most likely grazed us, just giving us heavy wind and rain, nothing like it would be if it hit head on. It seemed to move more to the west," he answered.

"Volteer, how far could a hurricane go inland while still in its destructive power?" Sparx asked worriedly. He fear for one thing, his brother. He didn't know where he was, and he feared he might be in the path. For once, he hoped his brother wasn't close to the city as he could encounter the deadly storm.

"Oh, they can reach hundreds of miles before they start disintegrating. Why do you ask?" Volteer questioned.

"Oh, nothing, I just hope Spyro isn't in the way of it. That is if he survived." Sparx then hung his head, fearing the worst.

"Cheer up Sparx, you mustn't lose hope. I can assure you he's still alive somewhere and I'm sure he isn't in the path of the storm." Volteer looked at the glowing, yellow dragonfly, hoping he would lift his head and look back. Eventually he did but only with another negative question.

"But what if he is in the path of the storm?" he asked the know-it-all dragon.

"Then his senses will tell him and Cynder to seek shelter. Whether he is or not, he will find a way around and will return. I guarantee it."

"Thanks, Volteer. I try to stay positive but the negative thoughts keep pushing their way into my mind. Thanks for the help," Sparx smiled. Both Sparx and Volteer didn't say a word for a while, but Volteer soon found something else to say.

"Although the storm was a near miss, it still left its mark on our sacred, breathtaking, exquisite city," Volteer finished and turned his head all the way to the left. Sparx flew next to him to see what he was looking at. His heart sank when he noticed where the guardian was looking.

The garden in the middle of the city, with its variety of plants and flowers, some that he never even seen before, was ruined. The once beautiful and lush gardens were now all blown down and scattered. "No," Sparx whispered. "Man, I really liked this place and now it's ruined." Sparx then flew up to the gardens.

Volteer slowly followed and soon reached the gardens also. "Let not your eyes deceive you as life can form in the darkest of times," he preached. "Your eyes show destruction and devastation but lead not to disaster and you will see that life can respond in time of need," he finished as he took a paw and pushed the weeping and dead plants to the side. Underneath the ruble was a sapling already taking root and starting to replenish the gardens.

Volteer looked at the sapling and then set his sight at the yellow dragonfly. He noticed an expression of awe on his face when he saw the tiny plant. Volteer also smiled before bringing his paw back. "You see, Sparx, chaos does span into the most unfortunate predicaments. There's nothing to do to stop it. But you always need to remember, life will regenerate again and become more spectacular than before."

"So, what you're telling me is this garden will become nicer than it was?" Sparx asked. Volteer nodded his head as an answer.

"And so it was a good thing this storm destroyed some things?" Sparx questioned.

"Not necessarily. Tragic events show in our lives unpredictably. It is us whom we control the ending whether good or bad. There are always purposes for disastrous predicaments. However, it is up to us to find the reasons why," Volteer explained.

"Uh, ok," Sparx uttered. He was a little confused by the guardian's words. Nevertheless, he didn't ask and accepted his answer. He didn't speak for a few moments, but then thought of something to ask to the guardian. "Was this the reason why you wanted to see me, to tell me about the gardens?"

"No Sparx," he chuckled. "There is more possible news to share with you, and it might lead to your brother." The words that Volteer mentioned about Spyro sent sparks of excitement in the little dragonfly.

"Really? Well, come on now, you said there's something to share with me so come on and spit it out," Sparx said with cheer. He also lowered his voice and mimicked Volteer as he repeated what the guardian said.

"Ok, Sparx," he again chuckled. "Earlier today, a guard returned to the city. This guard was from Cyril's search party. He said he was sent off a day before Cyril planned to return. However, since the storm, he had to return home early to inform us that they were on their way. They should arrive later today in fact," Volteer slowly finished.

"Awesome!" Sparx thrust a fist in the air in excitement. "Did he mention if they found Spyro?"

"He didn't say. But don't bother looking for him to find out; he already returned to his position on the other side of the city. It'll be a shorter wait if you remain here for Cyril."

"And I suppose you don't know exactly when that'll be?" Sparx asked while crossing his arms.

"Unfortunately, no," Volteer chuckled. "But it'll be safe to say that he'd probably return some time between now and by dusk."

"Ah great, now I got a whole day to wait just to know if my brother will return. Man, it never gets easy," Sparx sighed. "Guess I'll look for something to do for the time being."

"Don't worry, Sparx. Good rewards proliferate over time. I'm sure he'll return sooner or later," Volteer spoke but paused for a moment. "If you need me, I'll be working around the temple, cleaning it up before Cyril's arrival." With that, Volteer turned around and slowly walked away, leaving the yellow dragonfly alone in the city's gardens.

"Thanks, Volteer," Sparx whispered, however, he knew the guardian didn't hear him.

For several minutes, Sparx wandered the streets of Warfang. He saw many mole and few dragon citizens cleaning up after the storm that struck the previous night. Surprisingly, the heaviest damage was taken out on the central gardens. Everything else seemed to be fixed, clean, or replaced by later in the day. Sparx didn't do much. He felt excited that Cyril was returning later in the day but he didn't want to get his hopes as high as when Volteer returned. He didn't want to waste his time on the brim of the city wall for hours and not know if his brother will be one of the dragons returning with Cyril. He didn't want a repeat from last time.

However, despite the anxiousness inside his body, he continued throughout his day without worrying about if Spyro will return with the ice guardian. Sparx didn't do much for hours. He flew over Warfang's buildings and watched as the life in the city constantly moved, scrambling to rebuild the damage that had been done. Deep down, Sparx wanted to help but he was too small; a simple wooden board would crush him.

About another hour passed and Sparx became bored fast. He couldn't seem to find anything to do or help out on. He just assumed that he would fly around the city until word came back that the ice Guardian had returned. However, Sparx got tired of flying around the city; he wanted to go elsewhere. But where was the place he wanted to go?

It didn't take long until Sparx looked towards the south of the city and saw the ocean. It was then he noticed something. About fifty meters or so over the city walls, Sparx saw a luxurious patch of tall grass outside the city near the sandy beach. It was a little ways off the shore so it wasn't damaged from the rising water but still close enough for the dragonfly. In his eyes, the sun seemed to cast shadows all around except for the patch. The rays of the sun glistened off the water creating a glimmer that shone on the tall, lush grass. Sparx instantly started to fly towards it as if it was controlling him. Even in a great city there were plenty of resting spots for the yellow dragonfly. He wanted to venture out, even if it was only on the outside of the city walls.

Therefore, Sparx took off, over the buildings and eventually over the wall within a minute or so. Once over, he didn't slow down and progressed towards the sandy shores. Finally, he was up close to the lush, green patch of grass. He overlooked the ocean for a second before completely stopping the movement in his wings and plummet into the soft green grass on his back.

"Ah, finally out of the city, waiting for the ice boy, nothing to do but relax," Sparx said as he crossed his arms over his head and slowly dosed off into a little slumber.

***.*.***

The sun rose high in the bright blue sky. Small gusts of wind blew by in a large meadow, whipping the tall, lush grass all around. A faint smell of rain covered the air from the previous night. No trace of the thrashing storm was seen in the field, like it never even happened. Close to the end of the field stood a large mountainside and at the base of it stood large rocks forming a triangle-shape shelter. Outside the shelter stood a large group of dragons; a few hundred at least. All were around in a big circle on the soft green grass, soaking up the suns' rays. Each dragon had a piece of meat and lay on the ground eating their meal.

Far into the meadow, about one hundred meters away was the brim of the forest, where a few dragons could be seen running out of the forest with a freshly killed animal in their jaws. In front of the large group of dragons stood a bulky, green dragon guardian. He overviewed his troops and counted every time a dragon would return from the forest.

Right next to the large dragon stood a much smaller dragoness, about a quarter of his size. She already finished her meal ahead of time and helped patrol the troops. She tried not to move a muscle, wanting to show she was a good leader but nonetheless, she couldn't stay quiet forever.

"Um, Master Terrador?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, Kitchaty?" the green guardian responded.

"Aren't you going to eat something before we head off?" she asked curiously.

"Ha-ha," he chuckled. "I'm perfectly fine. Don't worry, I'll be ok."

"But everyone else is eating. You should too," she insisted.

"I'll be fine. Besides, it's me duty to protect everyone else from danger, even risk my life to save others. That's what a guardian does," he answered

Kitchaty had a puzzled look across her features; that wasn't what she was asking. "Master Terrador, that wasn't my question."

"Ha-ha," he laughed. "Yes, I gave you the answer you were looking for. However, it seemed to mean something differently. I will protect everyone even if it is something simple like giving up my meal to someone else. That is what I meant." He looked at her with a faint grin.

"Are you sure? I'm sure there'll be enough," she asked.

"If there is then yes, I'll have some, but we also need to return to the city as quickly as possible. If this storm was bad here, I can only imagine how bad it was in the city," he spoke with worry in his voice.

"So that's it? We're going to abandon our search for the purple dragon?" the golden dragoness spoke with a little anger in her voice. She never saw either guardian give up on a search.

"Unfortunately, yes," he bowed his head in shame. "We must return home to examine the damage in our fine city. We will resume the search after we acknowledge the damage that has been done is under control."

"But how can you be so sure there is damage? Maybe the storm by passed the city," she thought.

"No, the storm most likely hit the city. It came from that direction. Warfang is located next to the southern sea and all storms roll in from the south. In addition, none of us guardians are present in the city. Cyril and Volteer should return soon but we can't be certain that they will be there. We cannot take that chance. I'm sorry, Kitchaty, but we cannot risk the chance and our troops. We must return home." Once the large guardian finished, Kitchaty lowered her head, saddened that they had to abandon their search.

"Yes, Master Terrador," she whispered.

Both dragons didn't say another word. They kept their eyes on the brim of the woods, still looking for the rest of their troops to return. The light wind and the munching of hundreds of dragons caused the only sound in the field. Kitchaty then thought of something and broke the silence.

"Master Terrador, how would you know when all of our guards have returned to us from their hunt?" she asked.

"I chose Zalon to be the head of the hunt. Once we see him return, then we can be sure that all of our guards have returned. By the looks of it, he should be returning soon," Terrador replied without looking at the golden dragoness.

"Oh, ok…" she answered quietly.

For the next twenty minutes, both Terrador and Kitchaty stood in their same positions, watching, as guards would return from the forest. It didn't take long until a familiar red dragon exited the woods. He actually flew his way out by the reckoning of the two dragons.

"Ah, there he is," Terrador spoke. The red dragon scanned the area to make sure all dragons were present. It didn't take him long until he landed next to the young dragoness and the old guardian.

"All of your troops are present and accounted for, Master Terrador," Zalon spoke firmly before bowing to the earth guardian.

"Thank you, Zalon. Once everybody finishes their meal, we'll head on our way back to the city," Terrador said. Zalon gave a firm nod before he turned around and walked in the other direction. Several minutes passed and most of the dragons were finished with their meals and ready to fly back home. Terrador gave the rest of the dragons a little more time to finish then went on to speak with the group of guards.

"As you are aware, we are returning to Warfang," Terrador shouted over the crowd, all heads turning towards the large dragon. "I know we did not complete our mission and for that, we failed on this search. Our great hero's still out here somewhere and we will find them. However, in light of the storm we encountered yesterday, who knows what catastrophic damage it brought on our home…" He stopped to take a breath. "You all worked very hard on this mission, and you all should be proud for trying. We just need to work harder next search. As hard as it is for me to say, we need to abandon this search for the time being and help back at Warfang…We'll depart in five minutes. That is all."

Once he fell silent, all the dragons carried on. The ones who hadn't finished their meals yet worked harder to, and the ones who had stood still and waited for their departure. Close to five minutes later, Zalon returned from the crowd. He was on his way to the front of the group where Terrador and Kitchaty stood. He walked up to the earth guardian with news.

"Everyone has finished their meals and are ready for departure sir," he spoke firmly.

"Thank you, Zalon. Now then, LET'S MOVE!" He shouted the last part for all the dragon guards to hear. With that, Terrador, Kitchaty, and Zalon took off with a single flap of their wings in unison and instantly they were airborne. Not long after the three rose off the ground, the rest of the dragon guards took flight and followed right behind Terrador.

As the earth guardian flew, his head faced the ground. However, his thoughts weren't on what was on the ground. His mind thought of the two lone dragons. He was extremely disappointed that he couldn't find even a trace of existence of Spyro and Cynder. Several thoughts of if they were even still alive rang in his head like the city alarm bell. Nevertheless, death wasn't an option for the two heroes. Terrador and the other guardians knew their destiny was to save the world. And they knew they would enjoy the new age more than anyone else could.

Several minutes passed and Kitchaty happened to look at the guardian's features from the right. It was hard to tell but she could tell he was depressed and she knew why. "I'm sure we just weren't looking in the right direction, Master Terrador," she spoke calmly.

"Yes, I'm certain that is the case. But I'm surprised that we didn't come across any trace or signs of them." He exhaled loudly.

"But what about the grublins we saw just before the storm hit?" Zalon questioned on the left.

"It is unusual, but that isn't exactly what we were searching for. But even so, that does raise great concern. Something significant is going to happen; I can feel it, and it's not going to be pleasant. We must inform the city and the other guardians about our sighting but it doesn't concern us at the moment.

"I understand, Master Terrador," Zalon spoke quietly.

"…For the next day or two, we will try our hardest to return to Warfang. It's going to be a long and exhausting journey but we must fly continuously with very few stops," Terrador said. The two dragons beside him didn't say a word. They both nodded and hoped the ordeal would soon end, even though they still had a long trip ahead of them.

From there on out, Terrador and his troops flew through the skies at normal dragon speeds. Their goal of travel wasn't going to end well. They all needed to push themselves as hard as they could so they could return to the city within a couple days. This was going to be their hardest challenge of their search. In addition, they all knew there were grublins running around the perimeter. They now needed to fly in silence and hope they didn't run into any trouble, as they knew some might not return home alive.

*.*.*

Evening came on such a pleasant day; however, the sun was still high in the sky. Four young dragons stood on the edge of a cave, overlooking the view of the horizon. Birds chirped in the distance, a light breeze blowing though the lands, rattling the leaves on the trees. The sound of the leaves was almost like a musical tone to the four dragons. The clean blue water reflected the light rays, sparking like tiny crystals that danced along the water's surface. The view was too good to be true for all four dragons. All their lives, they lived in war. Great grassy lands were turned into red-hot lava and black ash that chocked the growing life. Nothing could sustain itself. Just breathing a gasp of air was hard. Plants died creating little to no oxygen. The land was uninhabitable.

Now the end of the war had come, and life seemed greater than they ever thought it could be. Even breathing was much easier than before. To Spyro, he never knew what he would accomplish by beating The Dark Master. He never knew what great wonders were to be expected after the war was ended…by him. He never knew what greatness Malefor destroyed.

Now he knew.

All four dragons stood their in silence; none of them said a word. It wasn't until a minute later when Cynder spoke out with a question.

"Hey, what's that over there?" the black dragon spoke somewhat loudly, startling the other dragons a little. She pointed a claw over to what she saw. Singe was the first to look and once he saw what she was pointing at, he instantly knew what it was.

"You mean the large wooden poles over there?" Singe responded.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Well, those are our Geetin poles," he answered.

"Yeah," she spoke under her breath. "Hey Spyro. Doesn't that look like one of the poles I nearly ran into in the storm?" she asked. Spyro looked a little harder and realized it was.

"Yeah, those are it…Wait, what was that you said, Singe?" the purple dragon questioned.

"I said they were our Geetin poles," the red dragon repeated.

"Geetin? What's that?" Cynder asked while giving Singe a confused look.

"Geetin is a dragon game our tribe invented. The game itself has been around in our family for several hundred to maybe a thousand years. Before the attack, our family would play tournaments every week. The winner of the games would be given one of the best prizes we offered," Singe explained.

"And what was that?" Spyro asked curiously.

"…Bragging rights." Singe spoke with a sinister smile. Spyro and Cynder chuckled a little. However, it sounded interesting to them.

"That sounds very appealing," Cynder spoke. "Do you two play?"

"Do we play?" Singe and Zackary both started to laugh. "Of course we do. And you so happen to be looking at a champ here," Singe bragged.

"Ha," Zackary cut in, "you think you're the best? Ha!" He laughed again.

"Oh what? You think you are?" Singe turned around to face his younger brother.

"Uhuh," the black dragon answered.

"Guys, it's ok. I'm sure you're both good," Cynder broke in between the two bickering brothers. "It sounds intriguing. Do you mind showing us how to play?" she asked.

"No, no, not at all. Right Zack?" he asked his younger brother.

"Sure, it's always better with more players," the black dragon replied.

"Spyro, are you into it?" Cynder looked up to him on her left.

"I don't mind. I think it'll be fun," he said.

"Ok, we're in," Cynder responded.

"Cool, let's go." Surprisingly, Zackary was the one to speak. And with that, they all jumped off the edge of the cave and soared over towards the Geetin field.

However, once they made the leap off, Spyro and Cynder saw the two brothers plummet straight down. They were close to the face of the mountain, with their wings against their backs. They watched higher up with confused looks across their expressions. What were they doing? Where were they going and why? But then, both Spyro and Cynder saw what was on the near the bottom of the mountain: sharp rocks. Fear flooded their bodies and instantly, they started yelling at the two brothers. Unfortunately, they didn't hear them and they continued to fall. They couldn't bear to watch as they neared the bottom. However, just before they hit, Singe and Zackary spread out their wings, pulled up, and glided right by the sharp rocks. Spyro and Cynder gave a heavy sigh of relief when they saw that.

"Phew, that was close, don't cha think, Cynder?" Spyro asked in relief.

"Yeah…but you didn't think they were going to…" She trailed off.

"Actually, yes, I did," Spyro replied, knowing what she was going to say.

"I wish they warned us first."

Spyro didn't reply. Instead, he waited for her words to blow away like the breeze before he spoke.

"Well, I guess we should descend down to them."

"Yeah, guess so," she agreed.

They looked down and saw the two other dragons several hundred feet below them. They started to descend but slowly as they also flew closer towards the Geetin field. The flight seemed a little slow to Spyro. They mainly glided their ways down and barely flapped their wings once. After a few minutes of descending slowly, they finally met up with Singe and Zackary and they both continued the rest of the way as a group.

Once they reached the field, they all landed at the same time in the middle of the large court. As soon as they landed, Cynder was the first to speak.

"I wish you could have warned us before you plummet straight down the face of the mountain. We were worried you weren't going to pull up!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, sorry, it's something my brother and I like to do," Singe apologized. He didn't say another word for a few seconds, but then thought of something. "Zack, can you find our ball again?"

Zackary rolled his eyes before responding. "Of course, I knew you were going to ask."

Like last time, Zackary ran off in search for the game ball. However, while he went to go get it, Singe stayed with the other two dragons to explain the game and the rules. The black dragon ran all over the field. He went towards the goal post, but no ball. He went to the edge of the field and even a little further out, but still no game ball. Zackary couldn't understand. He was looking everywhere and couldn't locate the ball. He finally stopped running to take a small break after about five minutes of searching. However, he stopped at the exact spot where his older brother crashed last time they played.

"I don't get it. I looked all over this field and can't find it. Where the heck is it!" he said to himself while stomping a paw into the ground.

Back to the center of the field, Singe was still telling Spyro and Cynder the basics of Geetin. They seemed to understand the concept of the game faster than Singe expected. It surprised him a little but also thrilled him that he didn't need to explain as long. They both were fascinated by the game. To them, it seemed like a great way to learn fighting skills and have fun at the same time. Both dragons were eager to play. Now that they were being taught how to play a game, they realized that they never really played anything before. Their lives were dedicated to the war and that was all they really knew.

"So, what were the top poles for again?" Cynder asked.

"Oh, yeah it's—" He was cut short when they heard yelling.

"WHERE THE HECK IS IT!" Zackary screamed out. The three dragons instantly turned their heads towards the black dragon as he ran again looking for the game ball. Singe—on the other hand—started to laugh uncontrollably.

"Maybe we should help him…wait, what's so funny?" Cynder asked raising a brow. Singe couldn't say a word, unable to speak because he was laughing so hard. However, he did uncoil his tail and underneath it was indeed the game ball. Spyro and Cynder's eyes grew wide when they saw the red dragon with the ball. This time, Spyro was the one to speak.

"How did you get it?" the purple dragon asked.

"When, when we landed, I so happened to land next to it so I hid it," he finished and continued to laugh.

"And you told him to search for it when you had it? Don't you think that's a little cruel?" Cynder replied.

"Yeah, but we always do this to each other. Next time Zack will do something mean to me. I know it might sound terrible but it's a way we bond closer." Singe finally slowed down his laugher and now he could breathe. "But please, don't tell him when he comes back. I'll tell him but I want to see the look on his muzzle when I show him."

Spyro and Cynder didn't say a word. They nodded lightly but still thought it was wrong.

"Shall we continue?" Singe asked. They nodded again and Singe proceeded to tell them the way of Geetin.

At this point, Zackary was getting mad. He searched the whole field and didn't find even a trace of their Geetin ball. His emotions were filled with anger, confusion, and dumbness. He felt like he wasn't looking hard enough. Then he thought of a strategy that might help him.

"Ok, so I searched the whole field and still didn't find it. Where is another location that is so obvious but yet so secret?" He thought about it for a few seconds. Then his eyes turned to a glare, now knowing where it was. "Of course," he muttered before bolting towards Singe and the two heroes.

Zackary ran as fast as he could towards the three dragons, aiming at his older brother. The black dragon wasn't too far away so it didn't take him that long to get close. Once he was about ten meters away, he slowed down to a fast walk. He continued to slow down until he was beside Spyro, acting like he was listening to what Singe was saying.

"And you cannot grab the ball away from your opponent until the ball changes to the color of the element you use on it. Once a direct hit was made, the opponent must drop the ball as he or she has no control of the ball because its element has been changed. Any questions?" Singe finished. Once he did, Zackary was the first to speak.

"Yes, I have one. Where's the ball Singe?" he asked politely.

"I don't know. Are you sure you checked the whole field? Maybe you should go check again, just to make sure." Singe tried not to show a smile but he was only half-successful. Spyro and Cynder didn't see it but Zackary sure did.

"Singe enough fake talk. I know you have it, please give it," Zackary asked, annoyed.

"I don't know what you're talking about Zack." Again, Singe still acted dumb.

"Singe, stop lying." Zackary was done messing around; he slowly walked up to his brother. Once he was about a meter away, he jumped on his brother and pushed him to the ground. Singe couldn't hide the ball any longer and it slid out of his tail and rolled towards Spyro and Cynder.

Once the black dragon rose off his older brother, he looked over towards Spyro and Cynder and saw the Geetin ball. "I knew it!" He shouted loudly as he looked back towards his brother, showing his teeth in a snarl.

"Why must you do this to me?" Zackary asked with anger. He looked at his brother straight in the eyes. He lay on his back from being tackled and looked at his brother. However, despite Zackary's attempt to intimidate him, he couldn't help but smile and chuckle.

"Stop laughing!" he said firmly. "I'm tired of you doing this. Every time there's an opportunity, you always go for it. Please stop being annoying for once."

"Zack, you know I do it because you do it to me. It's a cycle, it'll never end. But you got to admit, it does bring us closer as brothers," Singe finished and then rose back to his feet. Zackary didn't say a word. But after a few moments, he spoke and changed the subject.

"Let's just finish telling them about the game so we can play. Sometime today would be nice." Singe chuckled a little from his brother's comment.

For the next thirty minutes or so, Singe and Zackary finished teaching the new players the rest they needed to know about Geetin. They explained the rules more clearly and reviewed what they taught. The two brothers even gave a small quiz to them about what they told them. Remarkably, they were able to answer every question they threw at them correctly. However, despite their understanding to the game, Singe and Zackary wanted to give them a visual lesson. Therefore, both brothers took to the skies with their game ball and demonstrated as quick match.

Finally, just before the sun set, Spyro and Cynder understood the game Geetin. It took about an hour but now they not only knew how to play, but they also knew where it came from and when the game was first thought of. Now, they were more than ready to play. As Singe and Zackary finally landed back on their feet, there was only one thing left to do: establish teams.

"Ok, so how are we going to set this?" Singe asked. "Should we do brother to brother and companion to companion or mix it up?"

"Maybe we should mix us up. Considering Cynder and I are new to this, it would be more fair that way. Is that ok with you, Cynder?" Spyro asked.

"I'll be ok with that," Cynder replied as she rubbed against the purple dragon with a smile on her muzzle.

"Ok, now who with who?" Singe thought about it for a second but soon had a solution. "Zack, why don't you go with Cynder and I'll go with Spyro."

"Uh no, no, no. I'll go with Spyro and you'll go with Cynder," Zackary quickly cut in. Singe rolled his eyes. Spyro and Cynder looked at each other and smiled by the youngest dragon's remark.

"Ok…I'll go with Cynder and you'll go with Spyro, happy?" Singe spoke at length.

"Yes," the black dragon said quickly while giving a firm nod.

"Ok, so it's settled. Me and Cynder against you and Spyro," Singe confirmed. "First one to score three out of five wins."

"Let the game begin," Zackary spoke as he crouched into a fighting stance while squinting his eyes. Singe also did the same and both brothers looked intimidating and ready to strike. Spyro and Cynder also joined in and formed a snarl on their muzzles at each other. This lasted for about ten seconds before each dragon bolted to each of their corners.

Spyro and Zackary were the first to reach their position at the south goal post. Instantly they turned around and faced their opponents as they just reached their spot. They crouched down low to the ground as they gave intimidating stares at the other team. They then set their sights on the ball which was in the center of the field. Not a single sound was made. The only noise was a faint fluttering of wing beats from birds flying over. Slight gusts of wind sent a wave of a cool tingling sensation as it brushed against their scales. The awkward silence lasted for several long seconds before the black dragon broke the stillness.

"Ok, so here's the plan and trust me, it works." Spyro nodded as Zackary was whispering. "Once the game begins, we'll run towards the ball as fast as we can but we will let them grab the ball first."

Spyro's expression changed as soon as the black dragon said to let then grab it first. Why would he want them to grab it first? Wasn't the point to get it before them? What was his plan if it required the opponent to have the advantage? Spyro could only guess until he listened a little more.

"Since I always played with my bother, Singe, I never usually was the first to grab the ball considering he's faster than me. So I had to adapt in that case and work around it. I found a solution. Once they grab it, they'll take off and fly towards the goal. We're going to jump in the air, turn around real quick, and by that time, they should be caught up with us so we'll have an opportunity to snatch it in out element," Zackary whispered as he still maintained a glare at his brother nearly two hundred meters away.

"Ok…and this works?" Spyro asked curiously.

"…Most of the time," the black dragon replied. Spyro then thought his plan was too obvious and wouldn't work. To Spyro, it seemed he used this technique several times before. He thought that Singe would expect what they were going to do and change actions. However, he wasn't going to judge the young black dragon. He had never played Geetin before and Zachary seemed to fall on this plan so he would go with it.

"Ok, I guess it's worth a shot," Spyro finally answered.

"Alrighty then, let's show them how to really play Geetin," Zackary spoke as a sinister grin formed around his muzzle. The black dragon stared at his older brother. It was hard for him to see but he could make out the same sinister look across his muzzle. Zackary then gave a firm nod to his brother. His wings flared up and he crouched even lower. A few seconds later, he saw his brother return the nod and in addition, his wings spread out.

"Let's go." Zackary said quietly but Spyro still heard what he said and followed beside the young black dragon. They dug their claws into the soft grass and thrust themselves forward at a great speed. Singe didn't waste any time and shouted, "Now!" at Cynder. Singe and Cynder did the same as their opponents and bolted towards the ball. All four dragons raced to the center of the field. Their speeds were remarkable as they ran in a head on position straight at the ball, wondering who would be the first to grab it.

They all closed in the gap ever so quickly. Within a few seconds, both teams ran over fifty meters and were closing on each other. They were half way to the ball and there was no telling who had the advantage. However, no one was ahead. Both Singe and Cynder were traveling together and so were Spyro and Zackary.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity to all four dragons, the gap was closed down to only a few yards. Spyro and Zackary slowed down in their pace to allow the other two dragons to retrieve the ball first. So far, their plan was working perfectly because within a few seconds since they slowed down, Cynder was the first to shoot her fear element at the ball and it turned an eerie red color. She then grabbed the string on the end of the ball with her jaws and took flight. Right behind her was Singe who also jumped into the air and flew.

Spyro and Zackary saw this and immediately planted their front paws in front of them and they skidded to a halt. Within a blink of an eye, the south team whipped around and also jumped into the air. By the time they were airborne, Cynder and Singe flew right by them. They flew right behind the north team but only by a few meters. So far, Zackary's plan was working.

As Singe flew by, he noticed they were right on their tails. He was shocked by how fast they maneuvered. He rolled his eyes and felt dumb for not seeing it before. "Ah damn, how could I be so stupid? Zackary always pulls that and I didn't see it coming," Singe whispered to himself.

"Cynder, plan B. Evasive action. Go!" Singe shouted out to the black dragoness. Cynder then looked back and from the corner of her eye, she could see a purple-scaled dragon behind her. Spyro was faster and better at flying than her so it was going to take a lot to shake him loose. Nevertheless, without hesitation, both Singe and Cynder snap rolled in opposite directions. Singe went left while Cynder flew right.

Spyro and Zackary were about to head towards the black dragoness but then, they both crossed again. This time, Cynder went left and Singe went right. This confused the south team for a second, and that second cost them a few meters because Cynder was able to gain distance from the other team.

Spyro then looked at Zackary. He waited for a second but the black dragon soon nodded. Spyro nodded back before he gave a massive flap of his wings and shot like a missile through the air. He was able to catch up to the black dragoness with ease. Cynder soon noticed that the purple dragon caught up and she started to panic a little. But out of the corner of her eye, she saw a red blur; this was Singe. Singe was trying to get her attention. When he finally did, he tried to mouth a message to her. He mouthed _"Throw it to me." _Luckily, Cynder got the message. However, there was still one problem; Spyro was too close for her to attempt the throw.

Luckily, Cynder had a plan. Before she attempted it, she noticed they were only forty meters away from their goal and closing fast. If this shot she had to make was made perfectly, they would guarantee a goal. Cynder then barrel rolled to her left and dove towards the ground, trying to shake the purple dragon. However, he was still following close. She tried to shake him by moving left or right, up and down, and even in a few loops. Unfortunately, he was still close behind.

Cynder couldn't keep this up much longer. Her wings were getting tired and she started to slow down. She had to pass the ball and she had to do it now. Despite the risk of losing the ball, Cynder pulled her head back to the left and with one good flick of her head she launched the ball towards the red dragon.

Singe watched as the ball flew towards him. It almost seemed as it was traveling in slow motion. He slowly charged up his element, cracking his jaws just a little, red fire energy building up inside. Once the time was right, Singe shot out a beam of his fire element at the ball. The thin line of fire zipped through the air like a shooting star, inching its way closer and closer. However, just before his element hit the ball, a beam of shadow fire rammed the ball and changed it into a blackish color. The impact knocked the ball out of the fire beam's way and it started to plummet towards the ground. Just under the three dragons, a black dragon waited as the ball with his element caught inside fell to him. Once it was close enough, Zackary grabbed the string in his jaws and immediately started to fly in the opposite direction.

Singe and Cynder were completely shocked by the black dragon's reactions. Their minds had not processed the fact that Spyro and Zackary had the ball until they saw Spyro fly in the opposite direction that they were. They then snapped out of their daze and immediately flew around and began to chase the black dragon.

Spyro also was dumbfounded by his team member's quick thinking and fast reflexes. It wasn't part of their plan but it worked out decently well for them. Spyro flew harder to catch up to the black dragon with the north team slowly catching up to him. Eventually he caught up to Zackary and flew to his right. Zackary slowly rose in attitude; he and Spyro were now flying at an easy fifteen meters. He liked to fly high so if he ever dropped the ball, he'd have a little time to correct his error if the other team didn't retrieve it first.

Zackary looked at Spyro and waved a paw to grab his attention. Spyro noticed the movement and glanced towards Zackary. He looked, met his gaze, and saw that the black dragon was trying to tell him something. However, with the ball string in his mouth he couldn't verbally speak so had to sign language his words. Zackary pointed with a talon at himself and then at the ball. He then pointed towards the purple dragon, indicating that he was going to toss the ball over to him. However, he then pointed towards the other team who was approaching fast. Lastly, Zackary then dragged his talon and pointed in between them.

Spyro had a confused look across his features; he wasn't entirely sure what he meant. Nevertheless, after careful thinking and a few seconds, Spyro realized what the black dragon was saying. He understood that Zackary was telling him to wait until Singe and Cynder was closer to them. At the right moment, Zackary would toss him the ball and Spyro would fly to the goal. It was a plan they thought would work perfectly. Spyro then nodded in agreement and they both waited for the other team to catch up.

They didn't need to wait long because once they were near half way towards the goal, Cynder was only about three meters away. Cynder was about to charge up her element, ready to steal the ball away from the black dragon. But, as soon as she had her fear element charged up and ready to release, Zackary tossed the ball from his jaws and over towards Spyro. The purple dragon shot a beam of fire at the ball and it changed from black to red. However, because he and the black dragon were close to each other, it didn't give Spyro too much time to react. Nevertheless, he managed to catch it but barely as he had it at the end of the string.

Immediately, Spyro dove straight down with his wings against his back and barrel rolled in hopes to shake the other dragons off his tail for a few extra meters. However, Cynder was not letting him have the chance and followed him exactly. Spyro finally spread his wings and leveled off now only a few meters off the ground, having dived over ten meters in the hope of losing the north team. Despite his efforts, he did not shake Cynder off his tail. She was still right behind him and following every move he made. Every turn he took, she did the same.

Spyro flew low and fast. He would bank side to side often and every time he did, he would see his black dragoness behind him. No mater what the purple dragon would do, he could not shake the black dragoness. He also was worried where Singe was, not knowing if it was part of their plan. However, little did he know, Singe and Zackary were far away from them. It was just him and Cynder.

Spyro was closing in the gap very quickly; he only had a few dozen meters to go. However, he had to gain distance from Cynder or he would not be able to score the goal. She'd be too close and could steal the ball back. But then, Spyro had an idea. Spyro started he smile slyly. He continued to look at the black dragoness, but this time waiting for the right moment.

Finally, Spyro had an opportunity when he gained a meter or so from the black dragoness. Spyro then immediately braked in mid air and whizzed by the black dragoness as she came around. Spyro maintained a hovering position as he watched Cynder turn around. Spyro then grabbed the string from his mouth with a paw and at the same time, Cynder also hovered about two meters away.

"You are very tricky to lose, Cynder," Spyro announced to the black dragon.

"You couldn't lose me if you tried. You love me, remember?" Cynder spoke back and then a smile formed across her features, causing Spyro to do the same. "Besides, I love you too much. I can't stay away."

Spyro chuckled and took his sights of Cynder for a second. However, Spyro soon realized he could have made a costly mistake and looked back at her. Luckily, she didn't move from her hover. "Just wanted to say that you and Singe stand no match against Zackary and I," the purple dragon mocked playfully.

"Oh really, you think so?" she played along. "Well, Singe told me every weakness Zackary has and well, I already know yours."

"Oh yeah? Well, I like to see you try—uh oh!" Spyro cut himself off as he looked past Cynder and noticed a red blur flying closer. Immediately, Spyro twirled around from a hover to flying towards the south. Within a second he was already several meters away. It took a second for the black dragoness to process what was going on. She turned around and noticed Singe coming up fast and Zackary behind him. Cynder then shook her head to clear her thoughts before flying back behind the purple dragon.

Spyro was flying the wrong way so he slowly made a wide turn until he was back on track. Cynder saw his wide one-eighty degree turn. She took advantage of it and cut right through, meeting behind Spyro again, only a meter or so away. She had the distance to steal the ball with her element. However, since Spyro was swaying back and forth so much, she feared she would accidently hit her love. She wasn't going to take the chance. She had to get closer.

"You're mine now!" Cynder shouted to her purple dragon.

"Not a chance!" Spyro shouted back.

Cynder scowled after his comment. However, she also had an idea. She had never tried anything like it before but hoped it would work. Cynder hesitated for a few moments but as they passed the last twenty-five meter mark, Cynder sucked it up and went at it. Cynder then took a dive and vanished from the purple dragon's sights. Spyro looked behind him and didn't see any sign of the black dragoness. He didn't know if he should be worried or relieved. Nevertheless, Spyro acted relieved and finished his way towards the goal post.

Spyro closed in on the goal fast, the ball string clenched tightly around his talon and he was nearly there. However, out of the corner of his eyes, Spyro noticed a black dot underneath him. What the purple saw stunned him completely. What he saw was Cynder who was flying under him about a meter or so below. However, Cynder wasn't flying normally. She was literally flying on her back and back-flapping to maintain flight.

Spyro's jaws hung open wide. He had never heard of a dragon able to fly inverted, let alone seen it. He thought it would be impossible to attempt. Nonetheless, there it was. Under him was a dragon flying backwards, but not just any dragon, Cynder. Spyro was so shocked that he didn't even notice her maw glowing with red energy. Not long after, Spyro snapped out of his trance, and it wasn't long after he noticed her element forming. His eyes widened immediately, and he barrel rolled to his right and Cynder shot her low-grade ability into nothing but air. However, as Spyro rolled to his right, his wing clipped the side of the black dragoness's and knocked her off balance.

Cynder lost her rhythm and started to fall to the ground. Spyro watch in fear as she fell but then saw her flip around and flew normally. He sighed in relief as she started to race back to him. Spyro saw this as in opportunity to score the first point. Now that Cynder was out of the way, he could do it. And just in time too because not long after, Spyro reached the five meter distance from the goal.

Spyro then returned back to a hover at the five meter mark. He had the ball in his right paw and with one good throw, the ball soared though the air and through the middle horizontal pole. Cynder finally reached the purple dragon but it was too late. He already scored the first goal. Cynder flew up to him and also hovered.

"Nice shot, Spyro," Cynder spoke happily.

"Thanks," Spyro said back. He looked at the black dragoness as she hovered next to him but not too close where their wings would collide again. "Cynder, that was amazing! I've never seen a dragon fly upside down before. How did you do it?" Spyro asked in awe.

"I-I don't know, I just thought of it and I did it. I don't really know how," she answered.

She was going to speak more but the sound of yelling in the distance caught both her and Spyro's attention. They looked over towards the south and saw Zackary was the one who was hollering, yelling in excitement by Spyro's goal. They saw both Singe and Zackary flying closer. Spyro then looked at Cynder but noticed she was already looking at him. They both smiled before exiting their hover and starting to glide their way down to the ground.

A few moments later, they both landed softly on the ground, now waiting for the other two dragons to walk up to them. Singe and Zackary were also on the ground and they ran towards the two companions. They reached them in seconds, then slowed their pace to a slow walk.

"Nice shot, Spyro!" Zackary shouted with excitement. "Looks like we scored the first point bro. In your face!" the black dragon snapped playfully.

"Not now, Zack," Singe whispered to his brother. Zackary didn't understand what was up with his older brother. Nevertheless, he brushed it off. Singe slowly walked over towards Spyro and Cynder. However, his sights were set on Cynder, puzzled. The black dragon saw him staring and felt a little weird, though she never showed it. Singe walked up until he was no more than five feet away, then he stopped but still stared with his confused look.

"How…" That was all he could say at first. Cynder then gave a confused look at him.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

Singe shook his head a little before replying. "How, how were you able to fly inverted? I've never seen anything like it," he said at length.

"Yeah, I saw it too. Zackary added in. Before long, all three dragons were wondering the same question and all stared at her. They clearly all saw it; the only thing now was how?

"I-I don't know. I just tried it and it worked. It was a little tricky because I have to flap up hard and down lightly but other than that, it wasn't that hard," Cynder answered.

"But I've tried it before, years ago and I never could stay in flight. I would always get disoriented and fall. How in the world were you able to do it on your first try?" Singe asked.

"I don't know. I'm in shock as much as you are."

"That's both cool and weird," Zackary replied. "I didn't know it possible."

"Well, apparently it is."

"Maybe we can talk to the Guardians about this when we return to Warfang," Spyro suggested.

"Wait, did you just say Warfang? As in The Great Dragon City of Warfang?" Singe asked with complete shock across his features. Zackary was also shocked by the mention of the great city.

"Yeah, you heard of it?" Spyro asked.

"Of course, The Dragon City is known throughout the whole world. Every small city around the world wishes they could become as big as The Dragon City. You my friend live in royalty," Singe spoke happily but also with a hint of jealousy.

"Actually, we don't live there. We were only in the city once and that was to fight. The city was under attack. We managed to stop the attack but we didn't see many dragons. I was told that most were killed." Spyro thought about the day when they fought. He felt bad for all the lives that were lost. He hated to think back on it.

"So, if you two never lived there, then where did you live?" Singe asked.

Spyro looked at Cynder and Cynder looked back at Spyro. The purple dragon soon answered. "Actually, we never lived in a place where we can call home. We dedicated our whole lives to the war. That's why we're going to Warfang. We hope to start a life we've only dreamed of having."

Singe and Zackary felt bad for the two dragons, who never had a true life of their own. The two brothers always felt they didn't have much of a life until they heard the story between the two other dragons.

"We're so sorry to hear that." Zackary said as they both lowered their heads. No one said a word for a few minutes. However, Spyro broke the silence with a question the red dragon mentioned earlier.

"So wait, so there's more?" Spyro said with excitement.

"More what?" Singe asked.

"Dragons, cities, tribes, we're not the only ones?" The purple dragon asked.

"Of course, the world is full of dragons. Although, I don't know how many are left after the war. If most of the cities ended up like ours, then there might not be many left of us. However, there's always that possibility," the red dragon explained. "Why do you ask?"

"I never knew about The Dragon City until just recently. Before then, I never met many dragons." The purple dragon answered.

"Wait, what? You never knew about any of this. But how is that?" Zackary cut in this time.

"…It's a long story." Spyro looked away. "I'd rather not talk about it right now."

"Oh, well, that's fine." Singe felt a little upset that the purple dragon wouldn't tell them. Nevertheless, it wasn't any of their business so he didn't dwell on it. "So…are you ready for round two?"

"Sure, I'm up to kick Spyro's tail at least once today. Right Spyro?" Cynder joked. Spyro glared for a second.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Spyro answered. Cynder laughed and brushed against his right flank.

"Come on, you know I love you," Cynder responded.

"Yeah, gotta agree with you on that," Spyro also laughed a little.

"Ok, I'll go place the ball back into the middle and we'll start again," Singe said.

"Alright, Spyro, let's show them they can't get a goal by us," Zackary teased.

"Yes, but let's show them how to play first. It'll give us a little more of a challenge," Spyro smack talked as he and Zackary walked their way to the south pole.

"You're all talk, Spyro, all talk," Cynder replied as she and Singe walked the opposite direction.

Both teams got back in their positions, and from there they played the next three matches a lot faster than the first. Cynder and Singe won the second game with ease. They mapped out Spyro and Zackary's moves and dodged every single one. At the end of round two, there was a lot of smack talk in the north team. All the comments Spyro and Zackary said earlier, they started to regret saying. The third match also went to the north team. Their quick thinking and fast reactions with a bit of luck earned them their second point. However, when it came to the fourth match, victory went to the south team. Over confidence in the north team cost them the round. However, there was still one match to go.

This was it, the score was even, the sun was setting, and the ball had been placed back in the center. Everything was ready. Spyro, and Zackary, Singe and Cynder walked from their sides to the middle. Their eyes were glared at each other, brother against brother, companion against companion. Once they reached the middle, they all stopped about a meter away from each other. They kept their stare for many seconds as if they were in a staring contest. Soon they all acted as if they were. They all laughed and chuckled a little by the way they were acting, kinda if they were in the last battle, acting all serious for a game.

"Good luck, Cynder," Spyro spoke.

"You too, Spyro. It's going to be a tough match," she replied.

"It sure is." Cynder then walked up to the purple dragon, gave him a kiss on his cheek and walked back. Spyro felt a wave of relaxation, something he learned to love.

"It's been a long game," Zackary spoke blandly.

"Yes it has," Singe replied. Singe then reached out his right paw over to Zackary. "Good luck, brother," He spoke.

Zackary hesitated for a second but then reached out his paw and grabbed his. They shook paws before saying, "You too," and then releasing. After that, all four went back to their places.

Like the last four games, they all returned to their posts and crouched into a somewhat fighting position, ready to bolt out at any second. However, unlike the last four times, this time they all felt extremely nervous. Nevertheless, none of them showed it. A few minutes went by and Zackary gave the ready nod. Everything seemed to slow down as he spread out his wings and crouched even lower. Spyro also did the same. Time also seemed to slow in pace for the purple dragon. In that time, he thought about their plan. They changed the way they were going to approach from before. This time, they were going to grab the ball first.

Finally, Singe saw the nod from his brother and the raising of his wings. The red and black dragon crouched into a fighting stance and too raised their wings. Everything fell silent for many seconds, then Singe gave the final nod. All of a sudden, all four dragons dug their claws into the soil and launched themselves forward at amazing speeds. All four dragons easily passed fifty meters closer to the ball. Spyro and Singe had the lead of their teams by a few meters each. Finally, within a few seconds, they both were only tens of meters away. They both pushed hard and started to charge up their element. Since Singe was a fire dragon, Spyro charged up his ice ability so they could tell who hit the ball first.

Singe tried with all his might to beat the purple dragon first but alas, he wasn't quick enough. Spyro was the first to shoot out a spear of ice that smacked the side of the ball. Now it glowed his element. Spyro came up fast, reaching the ball way quicker than Singe did. He then grabbed the string in his jaws and took flight straight over Singe. Singe saw this and spat a ball of fire straight up when the purple dragon flew over. Unfortunately, Spyro was too quick and his shot flew through the air. Singe immediately took flight after the purple dragon but he was delayed so he was nearly twenty feet away.

About ten meters away, Cynder noticed Spyro was the one to grab the ball. She saw the purple dragon take flight and now was about to fly over her. Cynder knew she had one chance if she was going to steal the ball away from Spyro. She waited for the right time, her wind element ready. She waited on the ground until the purple dragon flew over. Cynder chose her wind because she could control it more into a stream of air. She also chose it so if she missed the ball and hit Spyro, it wouldn't hurt him at all.

Once the time was right and Spyro flew over her five meters up, Cynder performed a standstill back flip. Once she was at the peak of her flip and her back was facing the ground, Cynder shot a thin stream of wind at the ball. Surprisingly with good proficiency, she hit the ball head on.

Spyro felt the hit of the ball. He looked at it and was completely shocked that it was glowing grey. It wasn't his element anymore. Spyro felt stupid for not seeing her there and dropped the ball to the black dragoness below. Cynder jumped into the air and caught the ball string with her jaws. Immediately she took off running in the opposite direction. She ran straight towards Singe but then something caught her eye. She also saw a black dragon just behind her teammate. Instantly she started to run in a wide turn around the two, but Zackary was coming across and over towards her.

Cynder then took flight to avoid the black dragon but he also did the same and started to come closer. Singe noticed both black dragons were now in the air, and he knew he had to protect Cynder from his brother's element shots if they were going to win this game. Singe flapped his wings hard and immediately was flying next to Cynder. But there was another problem: Spyro was right behind him and closing fast. Nevertheless, his main priority was Zackary and he was going to block his attempts.

Singe was able to get beside Cynder and eventually a little ways ahead of her. Zackary still tried to come at her with a blackish aura inside his maw. Zackary fired his first shot of his shadow ability at the ball. However, just before it came close to the ball, Singe spat a ball of fire and deflected Zackary's element. Zackary was a little shocked at first by his brother's quick thinking but then his eyes narrowed in a scowl and a sinister grin formed across his features.

Zackary tried to fly closer but with his brother in the way, he couldn't get a shot at the ball. He then spat out more shadow fire at the ball but like last time, Singe blocked it. He even breathed out multiple shots but every single one was neutralized by the red dragon's fire. Not mater how hard he tried, he couldn't get by.

Cynder flew by the twenty-meter line; soon she would have to gain height and score. However, Zackary was still too close. She had to think of something and quick. As she passed the ten-meter line a few seconds later, she immediately gave a quick flap of her wings and shot straight up in the air. Zackary didn't notice the black dragoness change paths because was delayed by his older brother. By the time he noticed, he also flew straight up but he was way too far away to do anything.

About ten meters back, Spyro watched as Cynder rocketed upwards without Zackary even knowing until it was too late. He knew the only chance to stop her would be up to him. Spyro slowly gained altitude, trying to get as close as he could to the black dragon. Despite his best efforts, there was nothing he could do to stop her. Cynder already was at the point of scoring. Spyro watched helplessly as Cynder hovered for a second, then flicked her head back and then forward, releasing the ball as it soared through the goal.

A few seconds later, both Spyro and Zackary flew up to Cynder. However, it was all over. The north team, Singe and Cynder won the game of Geetin. They now were awarded bragging rights for the rest of the day.

"Nooo…" Zackary said at length. He was so disappointed that he and the purple dragon didn't win. Now he had to hear his brother rub it in for hours. Not long after, all four dragons landed on the ground near the southwest pole.

"Nicely done, Cynder," Singe spoke happily as he walked up to her. "You know now we have bragging rights for the rest of the day."

"Thanks," Cynder responded.

Spyro then walked by her left side and slowly draped a wing around her. He smiled when she looked at him and gave her a peck on the muzzle. "You did very well, Cynder," Spyro said calmly. "It looks like the words I said on the second game are starting to haunt me." Cynder chuckled a little causing the purple dragon to do the same.

"You weren't too bad yourself," the black dragoness commented. "But don't think you can sweet talk your way from me bragging. It's coming either way." They both chuckled a little.

Just after, Singe walked up to his younger brother. He stopped and then patted his left paw against his back. "And my loving brother. Boy do I have some bragging to do. It's been a while." Singe smiled sinisterly. Zackary gave an annoyed sigh because now he'd have to hear it from his brother all night long.

"Let's get this over with," Zackary sighed. He then waited for his brother to speak. However, what he said was completely different than he expected.

"Good playing out there Zack. Your strategy with Spyro was the best I've ever seen. I'm very proud of you." Singe then patted his brother before he walked by and over to Cynder. As the red dragon walked by, Zackary was completely shocked that he didn't start bragging. He never left an opportunity like that. He didn't know if he should be happy or worried. Nevertheless, he didn't argue.

"Cynder, that was great Geetin playing. Both of you, for just beginners, you surpassed my expectations. Congratulations, you earned it," Singe commented as he bowed to the newbies. Spyro and Cynder also bowed back and spoke a simple, "Thank you," in unison.

"Well, it looks like we finished just in time," Singe said as he saw the sun disappearing behind the trees.

"It's beautiful," said Cynder and all nodded in agreement.

"Shall we return to the cave?" Singe asked.

"Yeah, might be a better place to go if I have to hear about this for the rest of the night," the purple dragon joked around. However, Zackary took it seriously.

"You said it," the black dragon replied. Spyro chuckled a little but no one noticed.

After a few minutes, the gang of dragons decided to return to the safety of the cave where they would finish the rest of their catch from earlier that morning for dinner and let the bragging begin.

**The end…well, just the chapter. XD Anyway, whatcha think? How did you feel in the rousing game of Geetin? Who where you rooting for and who did you think would win? Please let me know everything in a review of PM.**

**I really hope you all liked this chapter as much as I wrote it. I think this was my best chapter I wrote yet. I had so much fun writing this, that I couldn't explain the excitement I experienced. XD **

**Well, not much to say except…I want to thank all my readers and reviewers throughout my writing days. If it wasn't for all of you, I would have quite after the fourth chapter. Now it's been a year and there's no sign of letting up. XD Thanks again, Til next time.**


	13. Chapter 12

**WHAZZUP EVERYBODY! XD Well, I finally finished this one. Woo! Sorry for the long wait, I was going to update this maybe a week ago but decided to wait til now. Who you ask? Because this has been one year since I've updated my first chapter here on FanFiction! XD YAY! **

**I Had a lot of fun writing this chapter out. Some of the parts in this chap I've been wanting to write for so long. XD And so here ya go everyone. I hope you all like it. Ok, on with the chapter. Chapter 12-13. XD**

* * *

><p>Chapter 12<p>

Not too far outside the city, Sparx rested peacefully as the day came to a close. The sun slowly set towards the right of him and to the left was becoming darker. Not long after the sun started to fall below the mountains on the west, a loud noise suddenly rang out. The yellow dragonfly immediately shot up from his slumber as he heard a familiar sound. The sound was a loud gong ring approximately every second apart, something Sparx had wanted to hear all day long.

"Wha, what is it?" Sparx mumbled as he rubbed his eyes with his fists. "The alarm bell? But that could only mean…" He trailed off.

"Finally!" he shouted. Immediately he flew off the soft grassy patch and flew as fast as he could back to the city. Even though he wasn't that far outside the walls, he still had to fly all the way across the city to reach the main entrance. That was where Cyril would be flying in back from his search. That was where Sparx would know if his brother was with him.

Sparx buzzed over the city buildings at a rapid pace. He anxiously flew as fast as his wings would carry him, all the way to the main gates. Several minutes passed and Sparx was not even half way to where he needed to go. However, the yellow dragonfly did notice multiple black specks out in the distance. _That must be Cyril's search party. _The dragonfly thought in his mind.

A few more moments later and Sparx exhaustedly panted his way towards the main gate. His wings felt like they were going to fall off at any given moment. He couldn't breathe and his mouth was dry. He felt like stopping and completely falling to the ground, but nevertheless, he trailed on and eventually reached the top of the wall above the main gate.

Just above the wall stood a watchtower. Immediately Sparx pushed himself a little longer until he was able to rest on top of the tower. He panted hard as he lay on the slate shingles. He then looked towards the north and noticed the dots were figures of dragons flying in. Their identity was still unknown due to the sun falling behind the mountains. All he saw were silhouettes in the air flying ever closer.

After a minute or so, Sparx finally caught his breath and then hovered in the same spot he rested. He looked over in the city. He saw mole and dragon guards rushing up to the wall for their ice guardian's patrol to return. Sparx also saw the mole and dragon citizens rushing away in the opposite direction. He knew they were heading towards the main temple and that was exactly where the troops were going. Sparx knew this and knew he was going to fly to the middle of the city. However, he wanted to see if his brother could be in sight if he was there. He waited patiently as the dragon guards slowly grew bigger and bigger, closer and closer. Some cheered and some hollered for the safety of their fellow dragon guards. Finally, they had returned home to their treasured city.

Not long after, the group of dragons became visible as they were nearly at the city. Sparx could faintly make out the blue ice guardian in the front of the cloud of dragons. However there was still no sign of his dragon brother. Nevertheless, it was still early to tell if they found Spyro and Cynder.

Sparx watched and listened as the cheers of hundreds of moles and dragons echoed throughout the city. All were happy to see another guardian return. However, no one was sure if the great purple dragon was with them. They all soon would find out because shortly after, the dragon guards started to enter the city.

In a giant cluster, all the dragons that made up the search party flew over the city's great wall. Shouts and cheers were made as they all returned into the property of the city of Warfang. Sparx raised his fist in the air as he joined in with the excitement. However, the happiness he felt soon disappeared when the last dragon passed by but it wasn't his brother. His heart broke once more, but he tried not to get discouraged. After all, there were many dragons flying in at the same time and it was getting dark. There was still a chance that he had just missed seeing the purple dragon.

Sparx immediately flew behind the last guard, trying hard to catch up to the speedy dragon. He was barely able to follow without falling behind and within a matter of minutes he saw the large group of dragons descending towards the platform in front of the main temple. Sparx saw hundreds of dragons flooding the platform. Each one seemed cramped and squished by each other. There were more dragons than the platform could bear. Nevertheless, the whole search party managed to squeeze in and face a large blue dragon that stood high on the platform above in front of the temple. Next to him stood a familiar yellow dragon, awaiting the news of the blue ice guardian.

Hundreds of dragons and moles filled the streets around the temple, all wondering what news was going to be shared. Not long after, the yellow dragonfly flew over the middle of the group of dragons and faced the blue ice guardian, waiting anxiously to hear if his brother was found. His heart pounded against his chest, his hands numb. He felt like he would die if he had to wait any longer. Luckily there was no need because the ice guardian began to speak.

"Thank you all for venturing out on such a long and exhausting search. Unfortunately the results aren't what we'd hoped for. However, that doesn't mean we should feel bad for what we accomplished. Our goals in locating the purple dragon and his companion have not been reached yet." He paused for a breath. "However our goals will be reached one day and we are getting closer to that day. We will have them back in our city." A few moments after he finished, all of the dragon guards cheered and hollered from the uplifting end of the guardian's speech. Once they settled back down, Cyril continued and finished.

"You all have two days to rest. We will set off again but we will head south and hopefully cross the ocean in a day. You are excused." Once he had finished all the dragons and moles walked away and back to their homes or posts. Like last time, Sparx stayed behind until the streets were clear before he flew closer to the two guardians. He heard them talking so he didn't intrude.

"My, it's such an incredible relief that you returned to our fine city unscathed through that treacherous storm we all encountered," Volteer spoke first.

"Yes, Volteer, we were lucky to dodge such a disaster just twenty four hours ago. It seems that the storm dealt its fair share of destruction to our great city if I ask?" Cyril questioned.

"Yes, yes, we had an exciting night with the hurricane rolling in on us. Fortunately, we were only grazed with the storm heading out more towards the east where its most destructive powers were unleashed," the yellow guardian replied.

"I guess that you didn't find any success in leading us closer to Spyro?" Cyril asked.

"Unfortunately we discovered no more than you on my search. I told my troops to meet me back here in the morning so we can set out again. Maybe by that time, Terrador will return shortly after my departure." Volteer then looked towards the direction where the green dragon left.

"So Terrador left to search also. It's amazing how much our purple friend means to us. It seems even Terrador feels for our faithful hero." The ice guardian paused for a moment. "I think it's safe to say that you should call off your search for tomorrow. Wait until Terrador returns, then we could share our information about our experiences."

"Yes, maybe you're right about that, Cyril. Waiting for our earth guardian to return so we can set a sturdy foundation to work on and maybe know more about where we can search," Volteer agreed.

"Exactly," Cyril nodded firmly.

After that, the yellow dragonfly slowly flew up to the two guardians with a depressed look across his features. The two guardians noticed his appearance and looked towards his direction. "So, you didn't see anything? Nothing that might lead us to my brother?" he spoke at length.

None of the guardians wanted to answer, a few silent moments passing before Cyril replied. "We haven't had much success lately. But don't worry, we will set out later and—"

"Search harder. Yeah, I know," Sparx finished, cutting him short. He had remorse in his voice. He knew that it was rude to cut in but that wasn't his intention. The loneliness without his brother took over the hope he had and he was growing tired of everyone saying they would look harder because it always ended up with the same answer: 'No, they haven't found him.'

"I know it must be hard, Sparx. But losing hope on your brother isn't going to solve your pain. This is when Spyro needs you the most. This is when you need to be at your strongest. Living without your brother the past several days has made you stronger that you can ever think of. You might not acknowledge that it's there but let time sink in and you'll see the potential it has given you." Cyril announced to the young dragonfly.

Sparx still hung his head down low. He nodded his head lightly as the ice dragon spoke. At the end of his speech, a stray tear formed around the dragonfly's eye and slowly fell off. The thoughts of his brother poured in. However, with one good sniffle, he wiped the water from his eyes and shook the bad thoughts out of his head. He then picked his head up and looked at the two guardians.

"I'm good, just, something…something in my eye. That's all." Sparx's voice broke as he spoke but managed to speak clear enough. "Thanks, I needed that."

Cyril nodded before replying. "It's getting late. Why don't you call it a night and get some sleep? Volteer and I will talk over a plan for our next search."

"Yeah, just a little sleep will get my mind off the purple thing I call my brother." He stretched as he spoke. "I'm just gonna, gonna go now." He said as he pointed his fingers to the left where the temple was. Cyril and Volteer then nodded and the yellow dragonfly buzzed off towards his sleeping quarters.

Ten minutes went by flying in the poorly torch lit city to his sleeping quarters. Once he entered, he quickly flew through the lit halls until he reached his room. He struggled to open and close the heavy door but he managed to do so. Now that he was closed in his dark room, Sparx felt around until he could feel the bed and dove right into it. He tossed and turned until he found comfort. He finally stared into darkness as he thought about his brother one last time.

"Please come home." Sparx whispered before closing his eyes and settling into a soothing darkness.

*.*.*

Further to the north stood a tall mountain and inside a cave were four young dragons, including the legendary purple dragon. By now the sun had disappeared and darkness swallowed the lands. Inside the cave was the four dragons talking and laughing in a poorly lit room, about their fun game of Geetin they played not long ago. Singe and Cynder had started to take advantage of their bragging rights early on but they soon let it drop. They then just talked and joked with the other two. They both shared the great times they've experienced. However, since the war, Spyro and Cynder didn't have much to say. Nevertheless, they managed to squeeze a few good times with the brothers. They all enjoyed themselves as they sat around the torch in the middle of them.

"So then I hollered for him as the grublin started to come closer. However, THIS ONE," Singe said as he started to tap at talon on the black dragon's head. "Is so stubborn that he thinks he could take on the ugly thing." Zackary grinned and rolled his eyes as his older brother told them a past story. The other two dragons started to laugh but soon quieted as Singe continued on with the story.

"So, Zackary is standing in his fighting stance as the grublin comes closer with club in hand. I'm in the background, yelling like crazy, hoping he would have some common sense and run back. But no…he still thinks he can do it." He paused for a moment to catch his breath.

"It was only when the grublin was nearly five meters away that this one realized it was still too big." This time Singe shook the black dragon's head. "And here I'm still yelling and now running towards him. But now, here's five year old Zackary running as fast as he could with complete terror in his features, hollering at me." All the dragons but Zackary started to laugh hysterically as they visualize what Singe talked about. Zackary still maintained a sly grin but he felt embarrassed by the story his older brother told.

"So, so, anyway. Here's Zackary high tailing it towards me with the small grublin behind him. Zackary soon reaches me and hides behind me give or take, a few feet. So then the grublin stops about a meter or so from me. I look at it right in the eye and you wouldn't believe what I said next." Singe left off now laughing more than ever. Zackary also breaks out laughing as the memory flowed in his mind.

"What?" Spyro questioned.

"I, I said…'Sup,'" he spoke with one eye glaring. All four dragons continued to laugh. Shortly after, Singe continued the story.

"So then, just after I said…Sup, to the grublin, I twisted around and stabbed my tail blade into the grublin's chest." Zackary then cringed by the mention of the killing of the creature. Singe saw this and then another memory popped into his head.

"Oh yeah, and then Zackary nearly passed out from the sight of the blood from the grublin."

"I didn't nearly pass out!" Zackary spoke firmly which startled the other two dragons. "I just cringe at the sight of it, that's all."

"Close enough," Singe added. The red dragon then noticed that Spyro and Cynder had curious expressions across their features. He knew Zackary cringing up over blood and gore puzzled them. He looked at them and gave them an answer without them asking.

"Unlike us who can naturally tolerate the sight of blood and gore, Zackary is a weird one and can't stand it," Singe explained. However, he felt a disturbance as he knew his brother was giving him the evil glare. Nevertheless, the youngest dragon didn't comment.

"I've never heard of a dragon who is so affected by killing. It's in our nature…Have you, Spyro?" Cynder asked.

Spyro shook his head before he answered. "No, I haven't."

"I'm sure there's a reason for it, Zackary," Cynder spook again.

"I'm not sure. I've always hated the sight of blood, even if it's mine. And I can't stand killing things, but I know it's in our nature to survive so I try to suck it up…But it's hard." Zackary lowered his head. He thought about how different he really was from the other dragons. He wanted to be like them but it was always a struggle for him.

Cynder noticed this in the young dragon's eyes. She knew what he was thinking. "Don't worry, Zackary. Everyone has their differences," she spoke.

"Yes but my difference is unlike anyone else." Zackary lowered his head even more.

"You're no different than me and Spyro." Cynder then walked up to Zackary. Singe nodded to the black dragoness and walked a little ways from the black dragons. Soon after, she sat down next to him and continued to perk up the weeping dragon.

"I'm not?" he asked.

"Not at all," she spoke with a smile. "Spyro and I never really had a family. None of us knew our parents." She took a quick breath but Zackary replied with a little shock in his voice.

"You two never knew your parents?" he asked. Cynder slowly nodded and spoke a faint, "No."

"Spyro didn't know about The Dragon City until recently. And even now, he's still learning the life of dragons…And as for me, well…all my life I grew up with pain, neglect, torture. I didn't realized what I had become until Spyro freed me. It wasn't until then I realized the pain I caused others…" She trailed off for a few moments as she looked at the purple dragon, then back to Zackary.

"You see? Everyone is different. Everyone has something they wish they didn't have to deal with. But we wouldn't be the way we are today without them."

"What makes you say that?" Zackary questioned.

"Well, if we were all perfect, we wouldn't be here today, nor have any friends or family. If we were perfect then we wouldn't need friends or family. Because we would have nothing to share, to protect, nothing. We have friends to help us get through the hardest things we encounter. We have friends to protect us and cover our weaknesses. Without differences, we're not us… Now we have friends for other purposes but that is one of the main reasons," Cynder finished. She noticed a faint grin across the black dragon's features. This told her that what she said inspired him.

"Wow, I never thought of it that way. That's really something, thanks," he spoke with happiness. Cynder also nodded for his thanks.

"So we might not know why we are different in the beginning…we might never know at all. However, there are reasons why and I can prove it to you," the black dragon replied.

"What is it?" He asked.

"…I didn't know my purpose for serving The Dark Master. I killed so many lives…including your family's. I didn't understand why I was given the chance to live when I knew I should die. However, I know my reason." She let the question set I the air until Zackary asked.

"Why?"

"Because I was brought to Spyro…" She paused as he looked and smiled at the purple dragon. Spyro did the same at the mention of his name. "I would have never met him if it wasn't for that reason. And same goes to you. I wouldn't have met you two and we wouldn't be friends. I still question why so much tragedy had to occur for something so little but it's growing every day."

"Wow, my difference seems like nothing compared to what you told me," Zackary replied.

"Just remember, everyone is different in their own way. And no one is any more different than each other."

"Thanks, Cynder… Y-you-you're a great…friend." Zackary hesitated at first but managed to speak. After he said the words he never thought he would say, he felt good and a smile formed across his features.

Just after that, Zackary reached out to the black dragoness and they both gave each other a small hug. Zackary felt good inside, something he never felt before but he knew it was good. He felt a wave of trust. Now he could trust the black dragoness. Now he could trust Cynder.

Cynder felt almost the same. She felt relieved that the black dragon, the one who said the mean things about her, now had built trust with her. She felt happy that someone could trust her even after what she had done in her past. The things she did to their family, the torture she had brought. It seemed that the black dragon had held onto the pain and suffering she brought to him and his family, but now the thing he had held on to for so long, it seemed he just let it go all at once and gave the black dragoness another chance. This Cynder wanted.

Even since that day a little over three years ago, the day she was freed, she always wanted to be trusted. And now, ever so slowly, she was getting her trust. This moment was one of Cynder's happiest moments. Finally, she knew that she was forgiven for the things she had done. The pain she had caused was all in the past.

"…I'm just here to help," Cynder finally spoke after a few seconds. After nearly a minute, both dragons broke their hug and Cynder walked back to her companion. Spyro was glad that she walked back to him. He felt a hint of jealousy but he knew she was just helping. He knew she wasn't going against him. Once the black dragoness was next to his side again, Spyro draped his right leathery wings over her again.

No one said a word for several moments. However, Singe was the first to break the silence. "Hey, um…changing the subject for a sec but, you mentioned that you were trying to fly back to Warfang. I was wondering when you guys were planning on leaving." Singe questioned. This time Cynder answered.

"Oh, um…I don't know. I mean, I think we were planning on leaving in the morning." Cynder then looked over to the purple dragon and he gave her a nod of agreement.

"Tomorrow!?" both brothers shouted, catching their guests by surprise.

"Why are you leaving so soon?" Zackary asked.

"Well, we must return to the city and let everyone know that we survived. No one knows that we're still alive," Spyro responded.

"But you two just got here," Zackary replied.

"Yes, but we must return to Warfang," Cynder spoke. Singe and Zackary gave a depressed sigh before lowering their heads. They finally made new friends in ten years and they couldn't stay. They didn't want them to leave but they understood why.

"Don't worry, we'll always come back to visit if you want," Cynder tried to cheer up the two brothers.

"Yeah, I guess that'll be ok," Singe responded. He tried to speak with a hopeful voice but everyone could tell the disappointment he felt. No one said anything after the red dragon. However, after a few seconds of the awkward silence, Spyro had an idea and spoke out.

"Hey, why don't you come with us? I'm sure the guardians would love to see new dragons in the city. Especially from a different tribe," Spyro suggested.

"That's a great idea, Spyro. Why don't you come with us to Warfang?" Cynder agreed.

Zackary started to have a smile form across his muzzle but it soon dissipated. Singe noticed his brother and finally spoke with an answer. "Thanks for the offer, but we can't…" Singe lowered his head a little.

"Why not?" Cynder replied. She was a little shocked that they turned down the offer. Why wouldn't they want to come?

"Well…" He trailed off a little as he looked at his younger brother, then back at the two dragons. "This is our home now. This is where our tribe lived. This is where we grew up…On the other side of this mountain lies the city where we lived. Leave now and we leave our home. I'm sorry but we cannot," Singe finished with a sigh.

Spyro and Cynder didn't answer. They were a little disappointed that their new friends weren't coming but in a way, they understood why. "Ok…well, we understand your connection to your home. We're not trying to take you away. We just thought you two would love to live in Warfang. You said it yourself that you two wanted to go there. But if you don't want to, then we completely understand," Spyro answered and gave a nod.

Singe returned his nod and not long after, he spoke again. "We're sorry. We just feel like this is where we belong. I'm glad you understand us."

"Well, the offer is still open if you change your minds," Cynder replied. She then looked towards Spyro before speaking again. "I guess we should get some sleep. We plan to leave early in the morning. Getting the best lead on the day will let us cover more ground."

"Oh, ok. I guess we should go get some sleep too, huh, Zack?" Singe questioned.

"…Yeah, I guess so," he said at length with a sigh at the end. He was saddened that their new friends were leaving so soon. The legendary purple dragon they had always wanted to meet was now their new friend but sadly leaving. Even the black dragoness that destroyed their home was now their friend. Zackary never thought he would see the day that he would actually become _friends_ with her. However, to him, it felt good to let go of the past and let in light for a good future. This brought a smile to the black dragon's muzzle.

With that, all four dragons huddled up in their own resting corners and slowly drifted away into a deep slumber. Like their first night, Singe and Zackary were at the far right while Spyro and Cynder were at the far left. Within a matter of minutes, each dragon fell fast asleep. The morning would bring sad goodbyes as Spyro and Cynder left to find their way back to Warfang while Singe and Zackary stayed behind. This was the day no one wanted to see since they've become friends. Nevertheless, the day would soon come and they all must say goodbye.

*.*.*

Night time fell quickly on a massive fleet of dragons who were trying desperately to return to their city. Every dragon felt like falling out of the sky. They had been flying almost nonstop for most of the day, and Terrador wanted his troops to continue flying during the night. However, he looked at the pace his troops were flying and realized they all were exhausted. They weren't able to fly any longer. Within a few minutes, Terrador located a resting place for his search party for the night. Not long after, the large group of dragons finally touched ground for the first time in over seven hours. All that was heard was sighs as each dragon guard finally relaxed their wings.

Terrador also sighed as his wings also ached from the long and vigorous flight. However, he was quite surprised by how much ground they managed to cover. They flew almost the whole day and were over half way back home. He was happy that they were making great time but he was more pleased by his group. They all managed to stay together without one or more trailing behind. They all flew faster than expected.

After he thought about the timing they made, Terrador walked through the group of dragons, making sure everyone made it to their camp for the night. Zalon and Kitchaty also spread out into the group and did the same. Not long after that, the three dragons met back up in front of the group with numbers in their heads.

"So then, is everyone present here?" the large earth dragon asked.

"Yes sir." The golden dragoness responded with a firm nod.

"Good," he spoke quietly. "Zalon, Kitchaty, retrieve a few more troops and secure the perimeter. We don't want grublins anywhere near now that we know they're out here. An attack now would be catastrophic. Our troops wouldn't handle a blow in the state they're in at the moment."

Zalon and Kitchaty gave the earth guardian a firm nod before running into the mass of dragons to search for the ones who could help patrol.

After a few minutes, they both found a few dragon guards who were able to search. Then they all ran out into the woods and parts of the field. All Terrador could do was wait to hear if their resting spot was clear. Ten agonizing minutes went by and there was no sign of the guards yet. Silence slowly started to take place as a small percent of the dragons fell asleep from their exhausting flight. Terrador didn't want anyone to fall asleep just yet until the area was checked but there was no stopping it. He understood the condition they were in and let them be.

Another five minutes went by and still there was no sign of the dragons. This time, Terrador felt concern for them. He knew it wouldn't be too hard locating any danger with the moon out bright. This should make searching easier. However, they still hadn't returned. The large green dragon felt worried for Zalon, Kitchaty, and the others. He didn't know if there was any danger and they were in trouble or if they had wandered out too far. He just hopped they would return soon.

Luckily, after another five minutes, Terrador could see five dragons running out of the woods, just ahead of the massive group. At first he was relieved to see them but it soon turned to fear as he noticed they were running faster than normal. This could only mean one thing to Terrador; what he was about to hear wasn't going to be good. He feared; grublins.

"Master, Terrador. Master, Terrador," Kitchaty hissed. She wanted to shout at the earth guardian but didn't want to be too loud.

She, Zalon and the three other dragons all ran towards him like they were being chased. The look across their features told Terrador that something was definitely wrong. Once they all finally made it to the large green dragon, Kitchaty struggled to speak because she was out of breath from running.

"M-Master…Terra-Terrador," she sputtered as she panted.

"What's wrong, Kitchaty?" Terrador spoke with fear.

Kitchaty tried to speak again but she couldn't utter another word. Zalon noticed and continued what she was going to say. "Master, Terrador. Unfortunately, we bring you catastrophic news." Zalon then lowered his head.

Terrador did the same and gave a tense sigh. "I was afraid you'd say that…" He paused for a moment. "So what is the verdict?" he asked, already knowing a possibility.

"…Grublins…" the guard spoke as he looked away. Terrador shook his head when he said the words. He feared there would be more grublins in the area. Unfortunately, his fear was true.

Finally, Kitchaty was able to catch her breath but she stayed quiet, letting Zalon know to finish the story of what they found. "Hundreds of them. A massive camp, just a quarter mile from here," Zalon spoke quietly.

"Hmm, they must have moved southeast from our last spotting before the storm. Unfortunately, we intercept them on our way back," Terrador whispered.

"Any suggestions, Master Terrador?" Kitchaty replied. Terrador didn't answer for another whole minute, but finally he spoke.

"We cannot rest here…Gather the troops, wake the sleeping. We must move around them quietly and fly to a different location."

"Yes sir." Kitchaty and the other four dragons said with a firm nod. They then took off running into the crowd of dragons to inform them they were moving. However, Zalon stayed with the earth guardian with a hint of anger across his features.

Terrador looked around and noticed the red guard dragon was still there. He wondered why and asked, "Zalon, why are you still here? They need your help informing the other guards."

"We have a perfect opportunity to attack the grublins without them expecting it. We have a better chance than before. And you want to just throw that chance away?" he spoke with anger.

"Zalon, we talked about this before. The answered is still no. Now our troops are weaker than before. We couldn't survive an attack now. Do you understand me?" Even though Terrador tried not to shout, Zalon could tell the earth guardian was furious with him. Nevertheless, he glared at him before walking away to tell the troops the plan.

After another five minutes, every dragon guard was awake and aware of what was going on. They all waited until the earth guardian explained what they were going to do.

"I apologize for the disturbance but we apparently settled down next to a grublin camp," Terrador said, just loud enough for the dragons to hear. A few gasps were heard from the ones who didn't know. "It appears the same grublin camp we saw before the storm moved southeast, and now we are less than a quarter mile away. Our plan is to quietly move around the camp unseen. Once we move around it, we'll take to the skies and fly for another ten or twenty miles, just to get us further away from the grublins and lower our chances of a possible attack. Now, let's move."

Once he finished, everyone gave a firm nod and followed the large guardian.

Slowly and quietly, every dragon guard walked carefully into the woods. They headed southwest in a line away from the grublin camp. However, their path meant that they had to walk within nearly five hundred feet of the base camp. Each and every dragon had to walk low to the ground, almost as if they were crawling. They walked through the dense woods until the trees thinned out again. This was then they located the camp of grublins.

Terrador waved a paw behind him indicating his troops to slow down. This is when they need to be quiet the most. Every dragon did what they were told. However, they were moving slower than a snail's pace now. Nevertheless, they needed to do all they could to evade sight from the grublin troops. If they were spotted now they would all go into full attack and many would die due to the exhaustion from their long flight.

It was now a full five minutes into their escape and so far they were getting by unseen. However, their luck would soon run out. Shortly after, a grublin on the other side of the dragons walked from the woods back to its camp with logs in its hands. The eerie glow from the full moons made it nearly impossible for the grublin to not see the massive dragon fleet. The grublin panicked, dropped the logs in its hands, and bellowed out an ear shattering cry.

All the dragon guards gritted their teeth from the unexpected sound, feeling a wave of fear now that they had been spotted. Instantly, the whole grublin camp looked into the direction of the sound. This was when they all noticed the dragons creeping by. Immediately they all grabbed their clubs and axes and charged at the dragons with blood-thirsty stares in their eyes.

"We've been spotted!" Terrador shouted with his thundering voice. "We need to move in! ATTACK!" Once the words left his muzzle, all the dragon guards yelled and ran towards the oncoming grublins.

The sight of axes, clubs, and torches brought flashbacks to most of the dragon guards, but it didn't seem to faze them as they continued to charge toward the grublins. Terrador stayed behind as his group charged to fight. He was about to fight himself but he had one thing to do first. He looked towards the young golden dragoness. He saw terror in her eyes. He knew she was scared but she tried hard not to show it.

"Kitchaty, I want you to fly as far away from here as possible. This isn't going to be a victorious battle," he announced.

"No, I'm staying to fight. I am as strong as everyone else on this search. Let me fight," she asked firmly.

"No, it's far too dangerous," he replied back.

"I can handle myself!" she shouted this time, though not too vigorously. With that, the grublin that called out to its fleet snuck up behind the golden dragon. Terrador noticed it holding its club high in the air, ready to strike. However, it was too late to say anything. But surprisingly, Kitchaty also noticed the grublin. She then whipped around in a complete three sixty and sliced her tail blade right through the grublin's chest, instantly killing it.

"I think I can handle myself," she added in.

Terrador was a little surprised by her quick thinking. He then gave her a firm nod and said, "You can fight." With that, both Terrador and Kitchaty ran as fast as they could over to the battle. By then the grublins and the dragons had collided with disastrous results. The sound of metal clanging off of dragon's tail and wing blades sent chills through Kitchaty's spine. The sound of hundreds of dragons and grublins yelling and hollering filled the air, not only from intimidation, but also injury. Within the first few minutes of the battle, over fifty grublins were immediately killed. The cause was mostly tail blades being thrust into their chest, talons literately slicing them in half, or abilities roasting, freezing, shocking, and crushing them to death.

Once Kitchaty and Terrador approached the battlefield, they saw blood staining the once lush green grass to a sick looking red, all from grublins. Immediately they jumped into the fight, slashing and killing as many grublins as they could. However, there were so many. Most of them were small but the mass of them could overpower the fleet of dragons, epically in the condition they were in.

The golden dragoness just brought down a grublin almost the same size as her. She then stabbed her tail blade into the grublin's heart and slowly watched it die. As the grublin gasped its last breath, she looked over to her right and noticed a familiar red dragon battling a grublin with an ax. This dragon was Zalon. He seemed to be struggling with the ax man but he wasn't in any trouble yet. Kitchaty had a mean look across her features as she stared at him. But then, in the corner of her eye, she saw another grublin creeping up to her from behind. She instantly retracted her tail blade from the now dead carcass and attacked the oncoming creature.

She tackled it to the ground and wrestled it for a few moments to get the upper hand. Once she was able to get control, she yelled over the sounds of battle. "I hope you're happy with this!" she hollered to Zalon.

"What!? Why would I want this?" he asked as he dodged the grublin's ax, but only by a hair.

"You said we should attack the grublins. You wanted this fight. Now, here you go!" she shouted back. Just then, the ax man she was fighting with swung its razor sharp ax under her chest level. Kitchaty performed a back flip and kicked the grublin with her hind paws, sending it to the ground.

"But this is far worse than I was expecting!" he replied. Just after, the grublin held his ax up high. It was about to strike but Zalon breathed a steady stream of fire, engulfing it completely. He held his element as the grublin yelled out in pain. However, Zalon didn't show any mercy. He continued as he saw the grublin roast. After a few more seconds, he ceased the flow of his ability. The grublin was still burning and fell to the ground backwards.

"Just admit you were just acting that you wanted to fight!" she spoke as she walked up to the grublin she kicked. It was about to get up but Kitchaty prevented that from happening. She turned sideways and with one fast stab with her tail blade, she punctured the grublin's heavy armor and killed it within seconds.

"NO!" he shouted as another grublin came up to him from behind. His angry shout gave him a little more strength to attack the grublin from behind. He slashed his talons across its face, leaving three deep gashes, just missing the eyes. The grublin dropped its weapon and grabbed its face in pain. This gave Zalon a few seconds to reply.

"The more we fight now, the less grublins we'll have to deal with later!" he shouted with anger.

"Just say it!" Kitchaty shouted at the top of her lungs. She then noticed two large grublins with axes running at her, both in front and behind her. She had an idea and jumped off the ground with one flap of her wings at the last second. She hovered in the same spot, just a few feet above the ground, watching what was going to happen. The grublins were unaware what the dragoness did. They already had their axes held high and started to force them down onto where the golden dragoness was. To their surprise, they then noticed she wasn't there and both grublins brought their axes onto each other. The blow of the sharp, heavy axes sliced right through their chest, killing them instantly.

"Ok fine!" Zalon bellowed out while fighting with another grublin. He paused as he caught the grublin's ax with both his paws, pushing on the side of it so he wouldn't get cut by the blade. He struggled to keep the ax away as the ax man slowly inched his heavy blade towards the red dragon. Zalon's forearms ached from the struggle of trying to keep the grublin's blade at bay. However, the grublin was a little stronger. Zalon noticed a faint grin of the grublin's features as the blade was only a few inches away from his neck.

Zalon couldn't take the ordeal any longer. His body was about to give way but surprisingly, another dragon guard saw Zalon struggling and forcefully drove his tail blade through the grublin's back. The grublin gave a loud cry in pain before falling backwards. Zalon rose back to his paws and stared at the dragon that saved him. The red dragon gave a thanking nod to the dragon guard before returning to battle.

"I'll admit, I never really wanted to go into battle. Not this bad of battle anyway!"

"Thank you," Kitchaty said politely as a grin formed across her features. However, it soon dissipated when the sound of the battle caught her attention. In seconds, she was battling another grublin.

On the other side of the battle, closest to the grublin camp site, Terrador fought hard as multiple grublins ran towards him with their weapons held high. The earth guardian just killed the remanding grublins that were attacking him. Blood dripped from his green scales, gashes covering his right and left flanks. Even a few more holes were punctured in his wings. He breathed heavily as he had a few seconds until another wave of grublins attacked. The grublins knew to bring down a large target, they must attack at once, something extremely hard on Terrador.

Terrador only had a few seconds to regain his strength. However, the grublins wouldn't even give him a chance because a few seconds after the green dragon finished off the last wave of grublins, ten more ax men came at him with axes swinging. Immediately, Terrador had an idea and waited for the right time. It didn't take long until the grublins were at striking range. Then, Terrador turned around and swung his clubbed tail, knocking out each grublin, killing them instantly.

Terrador battled the grublins and tired out fast. However, he noticed everyone was fighting rather well. He thought they might have a chance to win. Unfortunately, despite his hopes, a faint cry from one of his dragon guards sent his world spinning. Time seemed to slow down for the large, green dragon. His vision tunneled as the grublins and dragons seemed to move further away. That cry from one of his troops sent fear and shock though his body.

Alas, what he had feared the most was realized as the strong stench of dragon's blood stained all breathable air around the battlefield. Terrador's stomach turned. Time seemed to slow down even further to the earth guardian. Seconds seemed like minutes and everyone was slow in their reactions. However, nothing would prepare him for what he was about to witness next. Not long after, a band of grublins parted and at the end Terrador saw an ax man yank a small dagger out of a dragon's left flank. He saw blood staining the green grass under them. He was powerless to do anything as he watched the lifeless body of one of his troops fall to the ground.

Terrador was unable to believe his eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>So whatcha think? I need to know! So PLEASE review or PM me. ㈴3<strong>

**When I said I wanted to write parts in this chapter so bad, I was talking about the battle XD please tell me what you think will happen next. **

**Also, finally, Zackary cares for Cynder! XD YAY!**

**thats about it. Til next time. **


	14. Chapter 13

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the super long wait. D: I lost my rhythm in writing and never did any of it. **** Sorry. Anyway, but I finally got back into it and here it is! The never ending cliffhanger from last chapter has ended! YAY! XD**

**Ok, so, there is also a special day I was trying to upload this. I was trying to upload this on 8/30/13 because this is the day of my 18th birthday! XD However, minutes before I was about to upload it, I lost it and it was deleted. D: Luckily, DragonMaster000 BR's my chapters and I still had the email he sent me returning it. THANK GOD I STILL HAD THAT E-MAIL! XD**

**So, even though I'm 2 days late, here it is. Hope you guys like it. ^^**

**Oh, and BTW. When you get to the second to last scene, PLEASE YouTube this song: Coming Home, by Avenged Sevenfold. It's from their new album, Hail To The King. **** Please listen to it because it matches that part of this chapter so well!**

**Ok, that's it for me. On with the chapter. ^^ **

Chapter 13

~Five minutes earlier~  
>~The attack of the grublins~<p>

A middle-age dragon guard fought alone as he was surrounded by dozens of blood thirsty killers. He fought hard and well, managing to kill every grublin that struck. He dodged every arrow that whizzed by and avoided every ax that hammered down. Alas, there were too many of them and he started to lose his strength. The vigorous battle against the ugly creatures slowly tired him out. He wasn't able to hold out much longer alone.

Unfortunately, after a few minutes longer, no help came. He killed his last grublin before being brought down to the ground as a grublin swung its ax under the dragon's legs. The blow knocked his feet from under him and he painfully fell. He immediately tried to rise back up but he was too exhausted. In addition, the grublin that brought him down brought a foot up and pinned the dragon to the ground. The dragon guard struggled to get free but he was too exhausted and gave up.

The grublin then took its foot off and grabbed the dragon's head with its long, cold, claws. The ax man firmly turned his head until it could see the dragon's eyes. The grublin stared into the eyes of the dragon, forcing the guard to stare back. Frightful images began pouring out of the evil creature's eyes and into his, and he fought hard to look away but he was in a trance from the grublin's stare and couldn't move at all. Fear and terror flooded his mind. The images he was seeing were slowly eating his mind away. He was staring into the new age of war.

He saw millions of grublins, swarming the whole planet, killing everything in sight. Hundreds, even thousands of dragons and moles were either killed by grublins or corrupted in evil and turned against their own kind, becoming part of the dark army. He even saw the whole city being taken by the evil creatures with ease. And the one he feared, the one that could only cause such catastrophic chaos. Malefor, standing high in his fortress on top of a great mountain, overlooking the destruction he has caused. However, this time, he could see two giant beams of purple energy shooting out of the mountain and over to the two celestial moons which were on opposite sides of each other, creating a darkness known as 'The Darkest Day of Life.'

The dragon guard shook in fear from what the grublin was showing him. He couldn't take much more of the horror. Luckily, the grublin let go of his head and he fell head first to the ground. The dragon gasped for air, shaking in fear. Unfortunately, the worst wasn't over for the dragon because just when he was about to rise to his feet, he was slammed back down. The ax man stomped on the helpless dragon with its foot with bone crushing force. It then pulled out a small dagger from its back and gripped it firmly in its bony hand. The dragon could only watch in fear as the grublin thrust the dagger downward.

~Present time~  
>~The attack of the Grublins~<br>~Terrador~

Nothing prepared the earth guardian for what he was about to witness next. Not long after, a band of grublins opened up for about one hundred feet. However, at the end, Terrador saw an ax man yank a small dagger out of a dragon's left flank. He saw blood staining the green grass under them. He just saw one of his troops fall. Terrador couldn't believe it.

Every dragon seemed to have frozen in the middle of the fight as they could smell blood in the air; dragon blood. This took a big toll on the troops because shortly after, another dragon guard was taken down, and then another. The fate of their first victim weakened the dragons and slowly, more and more dragon guards lost hope and died on the battlefield. After ten minutes from the first fallen dragon, a total of fifteen or more dragons suffered the same fate. Terrador was losing his troops.

The green earth dragon breathed heavily, exhaustion starting to take over. He was also covered in scares and gashes all along his body, the toll from the battle already starting to wear him out. And now with the closing of his troops, he felt like giving up too. However, shortly after, a spike of hope and courage filled his body in an instant. He wasn't going to give up on his fellow guards. He wasn't going to let any more die.

A few more grublins surrounded him but he managed to kill them fast, and once he had some space from the attackers he shouted out to his remanding party at the top of his lungs. "EVERYONE, RUN AWAY! GET OUT OF HERE!"

Every dragon was confused but nonetheless they took his word and every dragon guard fled from the battlefield. However, as they ran, the grublins followed but far behind the dragons. Terrador waited for his troops to be at a safe distance, but with the grublins chasing them, he had to do it soon.

Terrador then closed his eyes and relaxed. Not long after, a green aura started to rise from the ground and began to swirl around him. Grublins from all sizes attacked and then pilled on the motionless dragon. However, the green aura acted like a rock wall so none of the grublins' attacks affected his concentration. The green dragon slowly lowered his heart rate by breathing calmly and then his clubbed tail rose from the ground. A near minute later, the green aura started to pick up earth and began to swirl around him. Then the ground started to shake violently, shaking more and more each passing second.

All of a sudden, Terrador opened his eyes and slammed his clubbed tail on the ground as hard as he could. This reaction caused the earth to ripple, swelling up into a giant wave. The wave traveled faster than the speed of sound, causing a sonic boom and killing everything in its three hundred foot diameter circle. Luckily, the dragon guards were just far enough away so they weren't affected by the blast, but the grublins that were chasing them weren't so lucky.

Kitchaty and Zalon stopped running and looked back at their leader. They were stunned by the massive fury element he released. They had never seen anything like it before; a guardian, using their fury. They stood there, four hundred feet away in awe and fear. They thought it was amazing that he could be capable of such power but also feared what could have happened if they had been any closer. Nevertheless, they were more thrilled than anything because the battle was now over.

The remaining survivors slowly walked back to the battlefield to count their loses and see if there was anyone struggling for life. Zalon and Kitchaty were surprised to see that the grublins were disintegrated and dissolved into soil, something they weren't familiar with. It was odd; they had seemed so strong but when they reached them now, they just blew in the breeze like they were nothing. Nevertheless, that was the least of their worries, as they wanted to check for survivors and on Terrador.

No victory cheers were said over their win. No, it was the complete opposite. Cries and sorrow filled the air around the battle grounds, heartbroken by the death of their fellow guards. Kitchaty and Zalon slowly walked through the dark and barren field. They were stunned by how many of their guards were killed. Their eyes soon caught onto Terrador and they began running towards him.

Once they reached the elder guardian, he was groaning as he slowly rose to his feet. His bones were aching and popping when he stood up.

"Master Terrador, are you ok?" Kitchaty was the first to speak to the earth guardian.

"Well, ah, I had better days," he spoke while stretching his limbs.

"Master Terrador, you're hurt!" the dragoness yelled out when she noticed all the deep cuts and scratches along his body.

"Don't worry, Kitchaty, I'll be fine… Ah!" he hollered as he tried to take a step forward.

"I think not," the golden dragoness spoke firmly. "Here, let me help."

She then ran over to the large earth dragon. Once she reached him he still acted stubborn and didn't want any help, but Kitchaty didn't care and proceeded anyways. She pressed her front paws against his left flank and then immediately Terrador started to glow a little in the dark night, just in the spot Kitchaty made contact. Terrador felt a sharp pain but soon it faded away and so did his gashes and scars.

The red and green dragons couldn't believe what they had just seen. The large green dragon was no longer in any pain, not even a pinch. He was healed. _"But how?"_ he wondered. Kitchaty then slightly pushed her paws off Terrador and landed back on all fours. She looked at the green dragon's features and saw he was stunned. She returned a sly expression with a small laugh.

"By the Ancestors, it appears that I have underestimated you," Terrador expressed. "Never have I seen a dragon with the ability to heal. there's only been stories of our ancestors with such an element but that was more than three thousand years ago. How long have you known of your unique power?"

"All my life, sir." She paused for a moment. "Well, at least as long as I could remember."

"Why did you keep this all a secret?" Zalon asked with confusion.

"Well, I just wanted to fit in with the other dragons. I didn't want to be known as odd or weird…" she sighed.

"Kitchaty, what you have is something far greater than any known element in the dragon race. You have been given a gift from the ancestors. Your ability is even more rare than the purple dragon," Terrador announced.

"What? But that can't be! The purple dragon is the rarest of all dragons, there's no way I'm more special than him. There has only been two purple dragons known," she protested firmly. She thought to herself, there was no way she was that special. She never asked for that. She always wanted to fit in and live normally.

"Yes, that is true. However, there were two purple dragons in the same millennia. But there have only been two known dragons that can heal in all time…" He paused for a short moment. "Kitchaty, our ancestor, Zaltern, was the first who discovered the ability to heal. He was the first with such unique power, over three thousand years ago. And no one has ever founded the ability again. Stories soon vanished, and everyone soon forgot about the element. But we guardians remember our faithful ancestor and the story he shared. We pass the story down from generation to generation… You see, Kitchaty, we only know stories of two purple dragons, but we don't know time before that. However, we know over three thousand years since the first healing ability," he finished and left complete shock in the dragoness's features.

"So, my ability is more special than Spyro's convexity?" she asked.

"As far as we know, yes. Kitchaty, you have a bright future ahead of you. Your life has just begun with endless possibilities," Terrador said as a grin formed around his features. However, Kitchaty didn't notice due to the poor moon light.

"I hate to cut this conversation to a close but someone is crying out for help!" Zalon announced.

Terrador and Kitchaty's features hardened and soon raced to where they could hear the cries. It wasn't long until they could see the dragon who was shouting. It wasn't too far away from where Terrador stood. As soon as they reached the helpless dragon, they noticed it was a male guard in its mid twenties. His body was hacked and was bleeding all over the ground. He lay in a pool of blood and with little life left.

Terrador, Kitchaty, and Zalon were stunned to see one of their guards in such bad shape, saddened that he had to suffer the way he did. Terrador recognized the dragon as the one whom he thought was killed in the battle. He was surprised to see him still alive.

"Kitchaty, please, heal him," Terrador spoke firmly.

Kitchaty didn't hesitate for a second and rushed over to heal the dying dragon. However, as she began her healing treatment, nothing was taking effect on the older dragon. Kitchaty feared this would happen and immediately stopped with her head low.

"I'm sorry, Terrador… but I am still too weak to heal more than one at a time," she muttered. Now she felt horrible because the only chance this dragon had on living was her to heal him…but she couldn't sustain numerous healings. She'd have to wait until her healing grew stronger. But time was not on their side.

"It's ok, Kitchaty… You tried your best…" Terrador spoke softly. "We must try to get him back to the city at once."

Despite his words, another dragon thought differently and Terrador felt eyes upon him.

"Are you crazy?" Zalon exclaimed. "We can't possibly take him back! He'll slow us down, and in the state he's in he'll never make it."

Terrador closed his eyes and slowly exhaled. Although Zalon had a point, though, this wasn't the thought Terrador had in mind.

"Zalon, you make great point… However, we are not leaving anyone behind, no matter the cost. We must attempt it," Terrador instructed.

"But sir—"

"Zalon, I've made up my mind… Now help get him on my back," Terrador requested.

Zalon obeyed the guardian's orders, slowly crouching down to grab the dragon's body and draping him over the larger dragon's back. However, just as he touched the injured dragon's forepaw, he thrust upward and touched Zalon on the side of his muzzle. Immediately, Zalon gasped for air and his eyes turned bright white. He shook vigorously for the first few seconds. Then he began to see things, things that couldn't be imagined. He was seeing what the grublin showed the dying dragon. This lasted for over a minute. Kitchaty and Terrador watched helplessly, confused as to what was going on.

Finally, the injured dragon let go and slowly lowered back to the ground. He gasped for air and spoke to Zalon on his only breath.

"Don't let him gain control… Don't let him win… Stop him at all cost…"

That was it, he was gone. He exhaled his last breath before his whole body relaxed as the last bit of life drained from his body.

Zalon looked around with wide eyes and gasping for air. Terrador looked at him with a confused expression. Soon after the red dragon caught his breath, he then began to speak to Terrador.

"M-Master Terrador… I-I bring forth unpleasant news."

Terrador's expression hardened at those words.

*.*.*

Morning started to rise over the mountains. Light started to shine into the cave the four dragons rested. However, light only passed through very little of the cave before darkness took over. Nevertheless, the dragons' instincts fell into place and a young purple and black dragon slowly started to wake. Spyro and Cynder began to open their eyes; they saw darkness but they could make out where everything was. They gained their bearing quick and began to rise to their paws.

Still both dragons didn't say a word to each other, just smiling instead. Spyro then slowly walked over to a torch on the wall of the cave. He walked slowly and carefully so as not to trip or fall on hidden items. Once he reached the torch, he breathed a small ball of fire that immediately lit it.

Now, a yellow-orange glow filled the room; they had to close their eyes to the light. But after a few seconds, their eyes adjusted and they could see clear. However, as they looked around, they noticed something was missing. Where were Singe and Zackary? They looked all around but had little hope in locating the two brothers.

"Spyro, do you know where they went?" Cynder asked.

"No, I don't," he replied as he looked back and forth. "I wonder if they are at the cave entrance. C'mon, let's go check."

Both dragons then slowly trekked through the cave's tunnel on their way to the edge. On their little walk, they didn't speak to each other. Both were thinking to themselves about their travel to Warfang. How far were they from the city? Which direction? Would Singe and Zackary change their minds? How long would it take? Days? Weeks? All the thoughts rushed in their heads. Nonetheless, they did know that they were on the right track and soon they would encounter the great city.

Several long, thoughtful minutes passed by and the two dragons finally reached the edge of the cave. Just as they expected, Singe and Zackary were right along the edge, watching as life comes alive again.

"We had a feeling you guys were here," Spyro said with a chuckle at the end.

Singe and Zackary jumped a little from the voice, but they relaxed when they saw who it was. They both looked over their shoulders at the two dragons approaching them.

"Oh, hey Spyro. Hey Cynder," Singe spoke.

"You guys sleep well?" Zackary asked.

"Yeah, we actually did," Spyro replied as he looked over to Cynder who gave him a nod.

"Well, that's good," Zackary said. For the next minute, no one said a word. Not even a sigh. Silence fell upon them. They all knew what was going to happen, but no one was ready for a goodbye.

Finally, Zackary broke the long silence. "…So you guys are leaving today?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Unfortunately, we must…" Spyro lowered his head. "The whole city, they don't know that we are alive. We—"

"It's ok, we understand," Zackary cut in, looking towards his older brother. Singe looked also and nodded in agreement.

"But could you do us one thing?" Singe asked to the two dragons.

"Absolutely," Cynder replied. "What's on your mind?"

Singe rose to his feet before he spoke. "Would you two like to join us in one last meal? Before you head out?" Singe asked politely as he pointed to the left at a dead animal lying on the cave floor. The animal was an almost full grown male fox, but not too old for full grown.

Spyro and Cynder smiled at their offer, honored that the brothers went out to hunt for a meal for them. They hated to leave their new friends behind, ones who cared so much for them in the short time since they had met. Cynder was the one to reply to the offer.

"We'd be delighted."

The black dragoness spoke for Spyro, but she knew he wouldn't pass up a chance for food and to spend a little longer with his friends. Smiles grew across the savior dragons' maws. They seemed to be contiguous when Singe and Zackary started to smile even wider.

"I know it isn't much but it was the best we could do this morning," said Zackary.

"Don't worry, it's plenty," Spyro replied.

For the next hour, Spyro, Cynder, Singe, and Zackary enjoyed their meal. They laughed and smiled as they talked and told jokes, enjoying the times they could share, unsure of when they would meet again. Unfortunately, all things must come to a close. They all finished their meals and now it was time to say their goodbyes. However, they all came up with the same idea of walking back into the cave and going over to where they all first met. This was the place they wanted to say their farewells.

They slowly walked though the poorly light cave. After about five minutes or so they reached the place where they first met. Although it wasn't a pleasant greeting, it was the start of their friendship. They hardly could see, but with the light from the odd blue crystals it was enough.

"Ha-ha, yeah, I don't think any of us will forget this," Singe laughed at that night. The other three dragons also chuckled.

"Well, we must get going now. We've got a long journey ahead of us. No telling how long we still have," Spyro stated. "…Unless you might want to join us?"

"Thanks, Spyro. But this is where we belong. Thanks for the offer," Singe responded.

"We understand. But like we said, the offer remains open," the purple dragon answered.

"Well, have a safe trip. And come by anytime."

Spyro closed his eyes with a smile. "Thanks, and we will."

Across from Singe, Zackary was quiet. He hadn't said a word since they were eating their meal, but no one had noticed. Across from him was Cynder, and like him she hadn't said a word either. But that soon was about to change when Zackary approached the slender dragoness, stood up on his hind paws, and gave her a hug. This caught the black dragoness by surprise, but she didn't have time to speak because Zackary beat her to it.

"Thank you," Zackary whispered.

"For what?" Cynder asked while confused.

"For being a great friend…" He paused for a moment. "Other than my brother, I've never had a friend before… Thank you, Cynder… Thank you."

Cynder felt flattered and returned the hug. She felt wonderful that when they first met in that same spot, he ran away knowing her as 'The Terror of The Skies, but now he was hugging her and acknowledging her as a best friend. At this moment, she knew Spyro was right when he said that everyone would understand her life and forgive her. This was one of Cynder's happiest moments.

"Aw, thank you, Zackary," she said in the hug. "Thank you for trusting me." She paused for a brief second, but then thought of something else to say. "I know exactly how you feel."

"You do?" Zackary asked, pulling back and holding Cynder at arm's length after she spoke.

"Yes. Other than Spyro and the Guardians, I have no one that trusts me. It feels good to know what it's like to have friends that care."

Once Cynder finished, they both smiled and broke from their hug. To the left of Cynder, Spyro noticed his dragoness hugging the black dragon. He smiled when he heard what they said. He was happy for both of them to know now that they had friends who cared for them. Singe also noticed and smiled alongside Spyro. Not long after that silence fell, signalling that Spyro and Cynder were about to leave.

"Well, we must be going," Spyro sighed. "Thanks for everything you two have done."

"Oh no, it's a pleasure to meet our heroes," Singe smiled.

"Goodbye," Zackary said while waving his right paw.

Spyro and Cynder then slowly wandered back through the cave. After a few minutes, they were out of the other dragons' sight and couldn't hear them. They were both a little sad that their new friends wouldn't come with them, but that was their choiceand they respected that. Finally, they reached the opening of the cave. They walked over to the edge and stared at the amazing view. For a few long seconds they studied the scenery, something something they surly would miss. Still, they hadn't seen the city yet and all its glory. They surly would see magnificent views from there. After all, it was the dragon city.

"Wow… I don't get tired of this," Spyro said in awe. Cynder looked over to him and smiled.

"Same here."

"Well, shall we?" Spyro asked Cynder while holding a paw down, signaling Cynder to go first.

"We shall," Cynder chuckled.

They lined up at the edge of the cliff, spreading their leathery wings. However, just as they were about to jump over the ledge they heard a faint sound.

"Wait…" said the voice.

Spyro and Cynder backed up away from the edge and looked all around. They didn't know what they heard, but it sure caught their attention.

"Did you hear that?" Spyro asked while facing Cynder.

"Yeah, sounded like a voice."

"Yeah," Spyro agreed. "Let's listen for a sec."

They waited for a few long moments. Everything was quiet at first, but then they heard it again.

"Wait…"

"I heard it!" Cynder yelled.

"Yeah, I heard it too. It's coming from inside the cave," the purple dragon replied. He had an idea what the noise came from, and he was hoping he was right. Again, they waited until they could hear another sound, this time facing into the cave.

"Spyro, Cynder, wait up." The voice grew louder.

"Yeah, it is defiantly coming from in there… You think it's Singe and Zackary?" Cynder questioned to Spyro.

Spyro didn't look at Cynder, his sights firmly on the cave entrance. "I don't know, possibly."

Once again a call was made, but this time they could hear it loud and clear.

"Hey guys, wait up!" This time, they knew who it was making the noise. It was Singe shouting through the cave.

"It's Singe!" Cynder Shouted with excitement. Not long after they made out who it was, they could see the two dragons become visible in the blackened cave. And they were in a hurry too.

"S-Spyro… C-Cynder, w-wait up," Singe gasped. Both Singe and Zackary caught up with the two leaving dragons and slowly panted until they could speak.

"Singe, Zackary, what are you guys doing here? I thought you were heading back into your cave," Spyro asked with confusion across his features.

"My brother and I… We were thinking as soon as you two left and…" He trailed off from shortness of breath. His younger brother filled in and finished his sentence.

"We feel that we have held on to so much pain and so much guilt. We have lived here, in this cave for most of our lives. We just thought, is it worth it?" he questioned. "So we thought that it might be best if we expand our lives with you two to this great city. To actually live for once. If that is ok with you guys."

Spyro and Cynder were stunned by their sudden change of minds. They grew grins on their features immediately and felt a overwhelming swell of happiness flow through their entire bodies. Not only were they returning to their new home, they were returning home with two new friends. They didn't say a word for a few seconds. They were wrapping their minds around the words the two brothers said. _Were they real, are they really joining us? _Their minds tried to trick them but it was no use. They heard what they said and it was all true.

"Oh yes, yes!" Cynder spoke with joy.

"Oh absolutely!" Spyro said at the same time. The two brothers' expressions turned to excitement. They changed their minds and now were heading to The Great City or Warfanga place they've dreamed of but never could imagine getting the chance to live in.

"That's great that you two want to come," Spyro smiled. "But, won't you miss your home here?"

Zackary sighed, telling Singe that he was going to speak.

"Nothing can replace the times we lived here. Nothing could make us forget the suffering and pain we have endured. But, we can only make the decision whether to live in the times of pain and suffering, or to escape it. We lived here most of our lives, alone, scared, and in pain. Now we have been handed a second life by you. And we want to start that life with our two greatest friends," Zackary finished. A little smile started to form from the left side of his muzzle, to his right. It was contagious and spread to the other three dragons.

"I'm glad we could help out," Cynder announced.

Singe and Zackary then walked up to their friends, stopping on their right and standing on the edge of the cliff. They looked over the mountains one last time. This may be their last time in their old home. They felt a little emotional but they knew this was for the best. Then Singe looked over to his left at Spyro and Cynder. He gave them a wink before he spoke.

"Ready for flight?"

Spyro and Cynder nodded. "Yes," Spyro responded.

Once Spyro finished, all four dragons immediately spread out their wings and jumped off the edge. Singe and Zackary dove straight down near the face of the mountain with their wings against their backs, knowing this might be the last time they would do this. But surprisingly, they looked to their left and saw Spyro and Cynder diving right next to them. They smiled when they saw them attempting the stunt with them.

They flew down fast and dangerously close to the face. Nevertheless, they were safe knowing they could spread their wings and pull up at any time. They now were over half way down and by now, they thought Spyro and Cynder would have pulled out of the dive. But they didn't, they were going all the way. This was a little more dangerous to Spyro and Cynder for being beginners, but they were great flyers and they could handle the amazing stunt.

Time almost stood still for the dragons. Seconds seemed like minutes and they felt like they would never reach the ground. Nevertheless, it came time for the moment where they pull up a few yards from the sharp, rocky bottom. All four dragons at once spread their wings and quickly pulled out of the dive, angling up enough so they were climbing to lose airspeed. It wasn't long until they were flying at a comfortable speed. Spyro and Cynder looked back at what they have just done. Grins formed on their features as they realized how close they were to the sharp rocks.

"Wow, that was so close!" Cynder shouted out, but still with a big smile on her face.

"I know, that's the fun of it," Singe laughed, and Spyro laughed along with him.

They all began to fly southeast, in hope that they were on the trail in locating the city. All was quiet but a sudden word from Zackary spooked them all.

"Oh! I forgot something." Without another second's delay, Zackary dove towards the ground and turned back north.

"Zackary! Where are you going?" Singe shouted out. But the young black dragon didn't answer. "What the hell?" With that, Singe dove after him and so did Spyro and Cynder. A minute or so later, they caught up with the black dragon who had landed at their Geetin field. The other dragons then landed behind Zackary and ran up to him, thinking that something was wrong.

"Zackary, why did you leave like that? What's wrong?" Singe asked worriedly.

"Nothing," he said while grabbing the game ball. "We almost forgot our ball." He smiled back in a goofy way.

"Oh gosh. That's all? I thought there was something wrong," Singe said in a sigh of relief while swiping a paw against his head.

"There would have been if we forgot our game ball," Zackary replied.

"But where do you expect we'd play that? Our tribe invented that game. I'm sure Warfang doesn't have it there."

"Dammit you. Always ruining everything," Zackary exclaimed.

"Well, I'm sure we could build it in Warfang. Introducing a new game into the city would be great," Spyro suggested.

"That's a great idea, Spyro," Cynder said while walking up to him. "Showing the city different styles of different tribes."

"See?" Zackary said to his brother. "Leave it to our friends to think of something."

"Yeah, yeah," Singe said while rolling his eyes at his brother. "But you're carrying it all the way there."

"Ok, ok. I'll just tie it around my back or something."

They then waited for Zackary to tie the ball string around his torso. Once he was done, they all took to the skies and made their way to the southeast. Zackary was in the back of their group. He slowed down as something was on his mind. A weight was on his shoulders, and he had a hard time letting it go. When he was about ten meters away from the group unseen, he stopped and hovered high in the air. A stray tear formed around his right eye and slowly ran down his cheek.

"Goodbye, Mother… Goodbye, Father… I love you and I'll miss you…" he whispered to himself. After saying his goodbyes to his parents and his home, a small smile cracked on the left side of his muzzle. He then turned back around and flew towards the others, onto a long journey ahead of them.

*.*.*

Deep down, in a different realm, lay hundreds of dragons. However, these dragons weren't average. The dragons in this realm were all spirits; evil spirits. The place seemed to be a cave, but with no exits. The cave-like realm was massive. It seemed to span for miles and thousands of feet high. However, it was all closed in; no way in, no way out. It was fairly bright but light was only caused by fires that spread and burned throughout the cave and the city that seemed to lay in the middle.

The ancestors called this realm, "The City of Evil." This was the place where evil spirits would end up. This would be their home. Luckily, these evil spirits couldn't leave the city. They had in the real world and couldn't return as living creatures again. However, there comes a time when a great power can release these spirits. And if brought into the real world, there can be little done to stop them.

High up, at the peak of the city stood a massive building. It was horribly crafted by evil slaves. The shape of the building looked like the capitol of the city. It had a large dome on the top of it and grayish-black pillars surrounding it. At the main entrance stood two tall, black dragons with a young hatchling in their jaws, clearly crafted by an evil soul. It was clear by the way the building stood and the way it was crafted that this building was for the king, the ruler of the city. This ruler was Titanis.

Titanis, not only the father of Malefor, was also the creator of the city, the first evil soul whom started it all. Walking up to the building were two red guard-like dragons, both looking almost identical. They were carrying rusty chains in their mouths and on the end of the chains was a young black dragon. His appearance was very dark and terrifying. His scales were pitch black, he had six blood-red horns from his head, four on top and two on the sides of his cheeks. His talons were white but long and deadly. He had a very long tail and at the end was a razor sharp spear-like tail blade. He was a killer. He was far too dangerous even for the city full of dangerous souls. He was perfect.

They walked him up to the main doors. He thrashed around, hoping to break free from the chains, but it was no use.

"Quit squirming, you peasant!" One guard yelled out. The black dragon stared at him with glowing green eyes, muzzle twisting into a snarl.

Once they were at the two doors, the other guard clenched his right talon and pounded on one of them. The doors were also harshly crafted. They showed a picture of a large dragon with glowing, white eyes, its body black, clawing at the likeness of a city with its razor sharp talons and a blood thirsty snarl on its face. This dragon replicated Titanis, the founder of The City of Evil, which was the city on the door. It signified his hold on the city, his protection of what he had created. This was the symbol of the city.

The doors finally opened, the hinges slowly creaking as two dragons from the inside pulled on the handles. The doors opened all the way, the two guards slowly approaching into the building. The black dragon looked all around. He was familiar with the temple but always seemed to locate new wonders every time he went inside. The doors then closed from behind him. He looked back as the last of the eerie red glow vanished. Now he was in almost complete darkness. The only light that was visible was dim flickers of purple candle light all through the walls and on the ceiling.

He looked side to side while walking slowly, noticing the purple flame on each candle, something unique that fascinated him. Nevertheless, he has seen this dozens of times. The guards finally stopped, yanking hard on the chains to bring forth the prisoner. Again, the black dragon growled at the two guards but was immediately interrupted by a dark, deep voice.

"Enough!" the dark voice shouted. The black dragon didn't hesitate and obeyed the voice's command. Then, in the darkness were two glowing eyes, burning into the dragon's mind. Slowly a figure emerged from the shadows. It was Titanis, the ruler and protector of the city.

"It seems that you have been visiting me more often, don't you think?" the dark purple dragon questioned while walking towards him. The black dragon didn't answer.

"I've been informed that you have been escaping from your cell, attacking guards, and wreaking havoc in my city, hum?" he asked. Still no answer. He continued to circle the black dragon and the two guards containing him, the prisoner not moving a muscle. He didn't even look at the dark purple dragon.

"Well, I guess then it's time to lock you up for good. Into the vault, does that sound good?" Titanis spoke, hoping to finally receive an answer. Luckily, it worked.

"Well, if you'd stop treating me like a convict, then we wouldn't have these problems, hmm?" the black dragon answered sarcastically. "In fact, why am I a prisoner when this is a city for all evil souls to end up!? This city is for dragons like me."

"Ha-ha, yes, yes. But what kind of city will I run if I let everyone do what they please?" the large dragon replied. He then walked behind the black dragon and lowered his head next to him. Again, the black dragon didn't flinch.

"There are laws, even in a city for evil and unholy souls like you and I, because there won't be order without a leader to look upon. And without order, my creation would be ruined… You see, laws bring order, and order brings a well organized city. We need this organization to create an army so we can rule the above life."

"Yeah… ok. You know, I think it would make a lot more sense to let everyone do whatever the hell they want but who am I to judge? Clearly you know what you're doing and by the looks of it, that's all I need to know. Thank you for making this so clear! So remind me why I'm here again? I'm starting to miss kicking ass in my cell. And well, you're just boring me to death now." The black dragon just stared at the dark purple dragon who was now in front of him.

"Yes, I'm sure you have the time of your life destroying my city, and clearly that must stop." He paused for a breath. He then turned around until his back was facing the unknown black dragon. "However, this is your lucky day. I need your help."

"What?" the black dragon said in surprise. "What the hell do you need me for?"

"Ha-ha, full of many questions," Titanis laughed. "I need you to help out my pathetic son, Malefor." The black dragon's eyes widened at the mention of the Dark Master. "He's costing me too much time and patience. I shouldn't have given him a second chance." He growled at his decision.

"Anyway, I need you to complete the end of the world, something Malefor was too foolish to acomplish." He turned around and faced the black dragon. "I need you to kill everything in your way. I will give you your own army of slaves and everything you'll need to complete your quest. Will you accept this mission?" Titanis asked.

The black dragon didn't reply at first. However, after a few seconds of thinking, he realized that this could be his only change to prove that he can become the most evil dragon in all realms. A dark and sly grin formed across his features. He gave a small laugh before speaking.

"Yes, Master."

"Good, your mission is simple: Destroy the world. Your first objective; destroy a city called 'Warfang'. Plan an attack and kill everyone on site, especially a purple dragon named Spyro."

"Wait, why would you want me to kill a purple dragon?" the black dragon asked curiously. "Aren't all purple dragons on our side?"

"That is usually the case. However, Spyro has chosen to abandon us for the sake of that pathetic world. He was raised by no one like us. He's never been a true purple dragon nor will he ever become one. He must be destroyed before he gains too much power that his true kind can manage. Right now, he is weak, young. He hasn't discovered his maximum power. You mustn't allow him to gain such power," the dark purple dragon demanded.

"I won't. I will destroy Warfang. I will kill anyone I see. And I will KILL Spyro!" he snarled as he bowed his head down to his master.

"Good," Titanis spoke with his deep and dark voice. "I will open a portal to the dragon realm. Here you will gain your army and anything else you might need for your quest. Your location will be in a mountain, far from the city. You don't want to be spotted. And you will team up with Malefor. Do I make myself clear?"

The black dragon bowed his head and closed his eyes to his master. "Yes, Master."

With that, Titanis turned around and faced the back wall of the large room, taking a deep breath. He held it in for several seconds as purple energy formed around his jaws. Once his entire mouth was filled with the purple energy, he exhaled and blasted the purple energy onto the wall. The wall glowed bright purple before melting away. However, the wall wasn't melting. It was opening up to a different world, the dragon realm. Now there was a swirling vortex of purple energy plastered against the wall. The large purple dragon then turned back around until he was facing the black dragon.

"Now then, are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes, Master," the black dragon replied.

"Alright then, let him go!" Titanis ordered the guards. Without hesitation, the two guards released the black dragon from the chains. The black dragon growled and snapped at the guards before walking over to his master.

"Remember what I told you. If you fail me, don't bother returning. If you do, you will more likely end up dead than back in your cell."

The black dragon just gave a nod before jumping into the portal. He closed his eyes so he wouldn't become dizzy from the spiraling purple energy. It would only take seconds to reach the other side, wherever that other side might be.

**So, everyone, whatcha think? I hope Y'll liked it. **** Please leave a review and let me know. My favorite part of writing is getting reviews from you guys. That's what makes me continue on. **

**For any further questions, please PM and let me know. I always check for PM's everyday on my cell phone to make sure. **

**So, as for that song? What?! You didn't listen to it!? LISTEN TO IT NOW! You don't want to miss out. :P **

**So, as for next chapter, I'm not sure. I hate to say but it might be a while. However, I did get that Dragon program for my birthday so that might speed writing for me. :D We'll see.**

**Til next time.**


End file.
